The Amadeus Effect
by Neena Varscona
Summary: A seemingly innocuous artefact turns out to be not so innocuous after all, and Daniel gains some firsthand knowledge about what it means to be ‘loved by the gods’. Warnings: JD slash, language, adult situations. For older teens and adults.
1. Chapter 1

Pairing: Jack/Daniel

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG-1 or any of the characters. If I did, I wouldn't be taking the bus to work ;). No profit was made, no infringement was intended.

Spoilers: Season 2, before "Need".

Warnings: slash, mention of non-con. and child abuse. Mild swearing.

* * *

"Okay, so let me get this straight; Colonel O'Neill would be Han Solo, right?" asked Carter, turning her face from the warm glow of the campfire to address Teal'c. The benevolent Jaffa gave her a small smile and a nod of his head. "And I'm Princess Leia?"

"Correct," said Teal'c.

Carter made a face at being compared to a princess, but she continued. "So that would make Daniel Luke Skywalker…my brother."

"Correct again, Captain Carter."

"Alright," said Carter, smiling now that her alter ego had a brother to pick on. "But who would that make you?"

"Chewbacca," Teal'c answered seriously. "Descendent of a proud race of warriors."

"And a fiercely loyal ally," Carter added with a grin, now completely on board with Teal'c's SGC as Star Wars analogy. "Who would be Yoda?"

"Thor," Teal'c answered.

"Hmm…I can see that. Darth Vader?"

"Apophis."

"Obi Wan?"

"General Hammond."

"What about R2D2 and C3PO?" asked Carter, determined to stump him.

"Sergeants Harriman and Siler, respectively," answered Teal'c without hesitation.

That got Carter laughing outright. She could picture the two of them—tall Siler with his ridiculously large wrench, standing behind Harriman, busy and efficient and surrounded by beeping and blinking control panels. It was too perfect, and she laughed so hard she snorted.

"You're right, Teal'c," she wheezed between fits of giggles. "Your analogy makes much more sense than the Colonel's 'Simpson's' one."

"I must ask him to explain it in greater detail one day," said the Jaffa as he stirred the fire's embers with a long stick he'd chosen for that purpose.

Hidden in the shadows near their tents, Daniel leaned against a wide tree and smiled to himself. He was feeling better than he had for some time, and he knew it was due to the companionship of Sam, Teal'c and Jack. Teal'c's analogy was spot-on—over the last year they'd become a tight-knit family. Sam was like the sister he never had—they bickered and teased each other, and leaned on each other when things got rough. It felt pretty amazing to be a part of a family, Daniel thought to himself.

As much as he was tempted to join them by the fire, Daniel had other plans in mind for tonight. For over a year now he'd been a member of the SGC, surrounded constantly by US military personnel, and yet he still knew very little about what made them tick. Their mindset was so different from his own that Daniel tended to seclude himself within the SGC, sticking close to the scientific advisors and his own SG-1 family, where he felt comfortable. If he was truly honest with himself, he'd have to admit that he felt more at ease making first contact with alien life forms than he did in the presence of Air Force officers and Marines.

But tonight he was going to remedy that. Tonight he was going to square his shoulders and march bravely into the fray.

Outside SG-2's camp, Jack, Ferretti, and the rest of his team were sitting around their own fire, punctuating the heavy night silence with deep-throated laughter. The closer Daniel got to the cluster of military men, the slower he walked. In the end, Daniel didn't so much march into the fray as slip undetected into it. However, his spirits were still bolstered by his earlier positive thoughts, and he had no intention of backing out now. So what if he still felt like the brainy nerd in a world full of football stars? He was as much a part of this mission as any of them, and he'd earned the right to be there.

"Hey guys," he said, making his presence known with a wave and a duck of the head that probably came off as shy and geeky. "What'cha doing?"

Ferretti smiled at him, which almost made up for the disappointed looks the other members of his team were sporting. Daniel could almost hear them thinking 'oh no, not _him_'.

"We're just talking, Doc. Have a seat," said Ferretti, patting the length of log next to him.

"We're having a game of 'No Secrets, No Lies', said Major Pierce, prompting Ferretti to shoot him a disapproving glare.

Pretending to not notice that Ferretti clearly didn't want him to join in, Daniel sat and fixed him with an oblivious smile. "Sounds like fun. How do we play?"

"It's simple: one person asks a question, and everyone in the circle has to answer it, keeping no secrets and telling no lies. Oh—and no names allowed," said Casey.

"Yeah, and the first person to refuse to answer has to make breakfast for everyone tomorrow morning," said Captain Griff, snapping the gum in his mouth loudly.

"So…basically, you're playing 'Truth or Dare'?" asked Daniel, getting a grunted laugh out of Ferretti. He noticed Jack hadn't said anything so far, and he glanced at him, trying to get a feel of his mood. Jack smiled back at him, happy and relaxed, which, in turn, made Daniel relax—if Jack was okay with the game, then that was good enough for him.

"Okay, Jack. Your turn to ask a question," said Ferretti, who still looked unsure about having a civilian join in on the game.

Jack flexed his fingers and leaned closer to the fire, the dancing orange light casting macabre shadows over his sharp features. "Alright…let's make it easy on Danny his first time out," Jack said with an evil grin that belied his true intentions. "Have you ever made out with more than one member of the same family? And yes, I need the details," he said with a playful waggling of his eyebrows.

Major Pierce, on Jack's left, answered first. "No lies—twins, red-heads, at my cousin's wedding."

"Bullshit," said Griff, on Jack's other side. "I was at your cousins wedding, you moron. I would have remembered you making out with twins."

Pierce grinned at him. "Different cousin; different wedding. I was twenty-two—they were thirty-six, twenty-three, thirty-three," he said, demonstrating the ladies' curves with a helpful pantomime. "Apparently they did everything together—including me."

Captain Griff harrumphed, obviously still not believing him.

"Need more details?" Pierce asked Jack. Jack nodded, his eyes glinting in an unnervingly feral way. "Okay. They got each other off first; let me watch the whole thing."

"You're so full of it," said Ferretti. "I rented that video—they let _me_ watch, too." Laughter erupted around the circle of men.

"Swear to God!" pierce exclaimed defensively.

Jack held up his hand before the argument got any more heated. "Alright—you swear it's true, then we've got to accept it. But your honour is at stake here."

"I swear!" Pierce said emphatically, getting another round of laughter from the circle.

"Okay. Casey—your turn," said Jack.

Casey wiped happy tears from his eyes before answering. "No lies—I've never been with more than one member of the same family."

"Doesn't have to exclude your own, you know, Case," said Ferretti, sparking yet another bout of laughter. This time, even Daniel joined in, starting to feel a bit less like an outsider, being allowed to take part in the juvenile game.

"Daniel?" asked Jack, once everyone had quieted down again. "What about you?"

"Me? No, Jack."

"You gotta say, 'No lies' first," Pierce corrected him.

"Right. No lies—I've never slept with more than one member of the same family," said Daniel, feeling a slight blush at his collar.

"Who said anything about sleeping?" Casey said, jabbing Daniel in the ribs and wringing a few more laughs from the others.

Daniel smiled good-naturedly, but shimmied closer to Ferretti to get out of elbow reach, nonetheless. He looked to Jack, who was shaking his head at him with a sympathetic smile. Daniel shrugged back at him.

"Ferretti?" asked Jack.

"No lies," said Ferretti with a dead-serious look on his face. "I did a mother/daughter combo."

"That's sick!" said Griff.

"Not at the same time, you perv! When I was seventeen I had a fling with a…mature woman. Forties. Hot. Just divorced. I was the talk of my school," Ferretti said proudly. "Then, a couple of years ago, I'm dating this woman, and I can't help feeling I know her from somewhere."

"Her daughter?" asked Pierce.

"Bingo! She was the spitting image…only less adventurous between the sheets than her mom."

"Eww," said Griff. "Okay, my turn. No lies—never done it. Wanted to, once. Sisters; both of 'em gorgeous. But my brother was dating the older one, and he woulda beat the living shit out of me if I'd put the moves on her."

"That just leaves you, Jack," said Daniel, secretly more than a little interested in hearing his answer.

"Okay. No lies; I once had a wild night with a woman and her cousin—and no, not at the same time…but one right after the other. God was I sore the next day!"

"Let me guess—cousin's wedding?" asked Ferretti.

"Funeral," Jack said with a straight face.

"You dog!" said Ferretti, shoving his shoulder into Daniel as if he was as good a Jack-substitute as any.

Griff cleared his throat dramatically. "I get to ask the next question." He waited impatiently until a somewhat respectful silence had descended upon the group, and gave them an evil-looking leer. "How old were you the first time you had sex? And I'm not talking hand jobs or blowjobs—I'm talking full penetration, and I want all the details, people."

Daniel's mouth went bone dry, his eyes wide and pleading as he looked to Jack. Jack met his eyes, and as usual, he understood what he wanted and took point.

"Alright; Ferretti, you start," Jack said. Ferretti took a quick glance at Daniel who looked ghostly white and uncomfortable in the semi-darkness, and nodded, knowing Jack was letting him go last.

"No lies," he started. "I was fifteen, she was sixteen, and let's just say she knew what she was doing. No lack of experience there, if you know what I mean."

"No—could you explain it to us?" asked Jack with deadpan sarcasm.

"No more comments from the Peanut Gallery," said Ferretti. "Now where was I? Right. Fifteen. Up in a tree house, with my best buddy cheering me on from down below."

"How romantic," Pierce mumbled.

"I suppose your first time was all champagne and roses?" Ferretti jeered.

"Sorta. No lies—there was no champagne, 'cause I wasn't old enough to buy any, but I did get her roses and a necklace. We were both sixteen and madly in love. We were gonna get married right out of high school. Would have, too, if my dad hadn't made me join up."

The others followed suit, divulging secrets that Daniel couldn't help but feel were disrespectful of those young girls from their pasts. He was slightly ashamed of himself for listening, but he was determined to try and fit in. The only problem was that he was a terrible liar, and there was no way in hell he was going to tell anyone—let alone a bunch of gun-toting SF's—about the first time he'd had sex.

He sat nervously, only half-listening as Jack casually announced that he was twenty-one his first time out. Daniel was as surprised as the others—he'd always imagined Jack would have been the first one out of the gate. Daniel didn't register all the details of Jack's first encounter, but he did note with some pride that his friend spoke with a great deal of respect—almost reverence—for the young lady in question.

Then it was Casey's turn, and Daniel found it almost impossible to sit still, knowing he was up next. He'd broken into a sweat despite the cool night air, and his stomach was roiling. Daniel felt like an idiot—he should have stayed with Sam and Teal'c at their own campsite, because he was obviously way out of his league with these guys. It was the football star/brainy nerd scenario all over again.

"Daniel?"

Daniel's head shot up to see everyone watching him—Jack watching him more closely than the rest. His mouth opened, but nothing came out, as if his body was doing business as usual even though his brain had taken a vacation.

"Daniel?" Jack asked again.

Using his pants to rub the sweat off the palms of his hands, Daniel blinked rapidly at Jack. He could feel all eyes on him, could sense the mix of amusement and impatience being cast his way, and felt the warm rush of blood racing to colour his cheeks.

"I…uh… I'm sorry, I can't answer that," said Daniel, sounding oddly detached, even to his own ears. He rubbed the back of his neck, cast his eyes to the ground and made a hasty retreat. He knew they were all watching him, and that spurred him to walk even faster back to SG-1's camp. As he stomped through the trees, he could hear the men's laughter behind him and his face burned.

Daniel burst through the tree cover into his team's camp to find Sam and Teal'c exactly where he'd left them—what seemed like a lifetime ago—sitting at the campfire.

"Daniel? Are you okay?" asked Carter, her large blue eyes sweeping over him, checking him for any signs of injury.

"I'm fine," he answered curtly, his jaw muscles bunching, his arms crossed tightly across his chest.

"You do not look 'fine', Daniel Jackson," said Teal'c, rising quickly to his feet in case action needed to be taken.

Before Daniel could once again profess that he was okay, Jack crashed through the trees behind him.

"Alright—care to tell me what _that_ was all about?" asked Jack, giving Daniel a long-suffering glare.

"Not really, no," Daniel answered, matching his glare and raising him a look of 'don't push it'. "You shouldn't have come after me."

"It's no problem—bedtime soon, anyways," Jack replied, walking casually past him to sit by the fire.

Daniel shook his head—Jack didn't get it. He didn't see that coming go his rescue like that would only perpetuate the 'hopeless geek' image he'd been trying to overcome. The good mood he'd been wrapped up in earlier was long gone, leaving him feeling cold and miserable. He stood back, watching his team bask in the warmth of the fire, wishing he could be a part of it but knowing he would only bring them down. As quietly as he could, Daniel headed for the tent he shared with Jack, and he was just opening the flap when Sam called out to him, making him freeze on the spot.

"Daniel? Aren't you going to join us?"

Daniel didn't turn around, but called back to her over his shoulder. "Not tonight, Sam. I've got an early day tomorrow," he said, and then ducked inside the dark tent. 'Got a big breakfast to make,' he thought bitterly as he groped around for his sleeping bag and crawled into it.

He lay awake, listening to the quiet sounds of his team-mates' conversation as his mind kept churning over the evening's events. Despite what he'd said, there was a part of him that was glad Jack had come after him—that he was a good enough friend to sense that there was something wrong. And even though Daniel would sooner die than tell Jack about it, it was nice to know the other man would be willing to listen.

Daniel realised he was waiting for Jack to come in before allowing himself to fall asleep. There was a comfort factor there—a feeling of safety he only seemed to find off-world, in a tent with Jack. It was nice knowing there was someone there watching your six. It was something he hadn't truly had since his parents had died.

He wasn't sure how long he waited—an hour, maybe less?—before he heard the rustling of the tent flap. Jack was trying to be silent, and Daniel guessed that it was more in order to listen for signs that he was awake, rather than an attempt to not disturb him. Daniel worked at keeping his breathing slow and regular—the last thing he wanted right now was to talk.

More rustling as Jack crawled into his own sleeping bag. In the pitch black of the tent, Daniel could feel Jack's eyes boring into the back of his head.

"You're not fooling me, you know," Jack whispered. "I know you're awake."

Daniel didn't rise to the bait. He continued his slow, rhythmic breathing and lay perfectly still.

"Fine. Be that way." Jack grumbled. "But if you wanna talk, the offer stands."

Daniel heard Jack roll over and plump up his pillow, and some of the tension left his body, relieved that Jack wasn't going to pressure him into talking. He stayed awake a while longer, waiting until Jack's familiar semi-snore filled the night silence, and then he drifted off into a fitful sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Jack awoke early the next morning to find the tent already short one archaeologist. He was very much aware that Daniel hadn't slept well—his tossing and turning, not to mention the odd whimper, had been enough to keep Jack awake and worried most of the night. Something had well and truly ruffled his friend's feathers last night, and it frustrated Jack that he refused to talk to him about it. Even on a piece of cake mission like this one, he couldn't afford to have a member of his team performing at less than 100.

He checked his watch; 06:00 hours—far earlier than Daniel usually got up of his own accord. But Jack supposed he was anxious to get an early start on their trek to the temple.

A few days earlier, the SGC had sent out a UAV to PIK 260 and it had flown over one of the strangest structures they'd ever come across. The main building was a small Egyptian-style pyramid set atop what Daniel asserted was a Mayan temple base. It was surrounded by a medieval-style walled village with Roman-style aqueducts and roadways. Daniel had compared it to a Disneyland theme park, with anachronistic and culturally discordant architecture haphazardly thrown together. The comparison proved fitting, as Jack watched Daniel's face light up like a little kid's when Hammond gave the mission a go. It appeared that the anticipation of checking out the temple was more than enough motivation to get the archaeologist out of bed first thing in the morning.

Crawling out of the tent, Jack followed the smell of coffee, knowing it would lead him to Daniel. Sure enough, he found his missing team member busy preparing breakfast around SG-2's fire. Ferretti and Griff were already awake and sipping coffee as they watched Daniel work.

"Careful, there," said Griff. "I don't like my eggs Cajun-style."

Daniel's shoulders tightened slightly at the remark and he made a point of not responding. Only when Ferretti called out a hearty 'good morning' to Jack did he lift his head from his chores.

Jack gave a friendly wave to the others before returning his gaze to Daniel, who stared back, thin-lipped and tense. Jack hastily bit back the 'so, what's cooking' comment that was on the tip of his tongue, and took a seat by the fire. He began to reach over for the coffee pot, but Daniel got to it before him, swatting his hand away.

"Let me—apparently that's my job," he snipped and poured Jack a cup of steaming black coffee amid the snickering of the other men.

"Your sidekick makes a kick-ass cup of joe, Jack," said Griff with a smirk.

Ooh, this is not a good start to the day, Jack thought as he silently pried the cup from Daniel's white-knuckled grip. He was about to lighten the mood with a witty comeback when the rest of SG-2 arrived, followed quickly by Carter and Teal'c. Soon the campsite was abuzz with the chatty routine of the morning meal and Daniel's sullen silence went completely unnoticed—by everyone except Jack.

Jack knew this was more than just pre-coffee Daniel surliness. Daniel never reacted like this to teasing—there had to be more to it than that, and Jack intended to get to the bottom of it ASAP. If there was bad blood between Daniel and a member of SG-2, he needed to do something about it before things got out of hand.

Fortunately, this was the perfect mission to have a discreet chat with his civilian team member. After breakfast, SG-1 would be packing up and hiking out to the temple, leaving SG-2 at the base camp to stay in radio range with the MALP at the Stargate. There would be plenty of quality team time to root out the problem—one full week before they would have to rejoin SG-2 and head back to the 'gate.

As SG-2 cleared up after their joint breakfast, SG-1 struck their camp and geared up for the eight-hour hike to the temple. After giving a few last minute instructions to Ferretti, Jack ordered Teal'c to take point and Carter to take their six, so he could have some one-on-one time with Daniel on the way.

But Daniel was setting a gruelling pace, always a step or two ahead of him—like he was expecting 'the talk' and was avoiding him like the plague. After an hour spent speed walking through the forest, staring at the back of Daniel's head, Jack had had enough.

"Would ya slow down, already? This isn't a race," said Jack.

Daniel did slow down, letting Jack catch up with him, but he kept his eyes to the ground.

"Well, that's a start," said Jack. "I don't suppose you feel like telling me…"

"No."

"Okaaaaay. Change the subject. Got it," said Jack. "So—do you think this temple we're going to was built by the Goa'uld? Or are we looking at Michael Jackson's latest incarnation of Neverland Ranch?"

Daniel shuddered visibly at the thought, but it had the desired effect—now he was at least looking Jack in the eye. "Almost definitely Goa'uld," he answered. "Most likely, though, this is only a secondary stronghold. No nearby dwellings for Jaffa or human slaves. There are no indications of habitation anywhere except in the walled village, and that wouldn't be nearly large enough to house an army. More than likely this temple is abandoned…unless it's still being used on special occasions, and we've come between events. The truth is, I won't know for sure until we get there and I have a chance to check things out."

"So this could be some kind of Goa'uld convention centre?" asked Jack. "Well if it is, let's just hope there's no special occasions planned for the immediate future."

Daniel smiled at him—the kind of brilliant, glowing smile that only came out when the topic of discussion turned to his area of interest. Jack recognised it and prepared himself for a long lecture.

Daniel didn't disappoint. Jack half-listened as phrases like 'cross-pollination of cultures' and 'misappropriation of indigenous deities' were bandied about, punctuated frequently by boisterous hand gestures. Jack nodded and 'hmm-ed' and pretended to give a crap, but mostly he was just relieved that Daniel had snapped out of his funk. It looked like he wasn't going to have to have that heart to heart with him after all.

By the time they broke for lunch, Daniel was back to his scholastically-excited self. He ate quickly and fidgeted restlessly as he waited for everyone else to catch up. Yep, Jack thought, things were back to normal in Daniel-land.

The second leg of their trip should have been a relaxing jaunt through the woods, seeing as they'd covered a lot more ground than they'd expected to before lunch. But Daniel was anxious to get a good look at his temple while they still had a couple of hours of sunlight left.

Conversation was light and bantering—the kind that left part of the brain free to stay alert to any possible threats while being interesting enough to make the time fly by. Teal'c was explaining a Jaffa children's game, meant to hone skills of stealth and speed. Jack pointed out that on Earth the game was called 'knock-a-door ginger', and the kids who played it usually got into trouble. Teal'c countered, claiming that Jaffa children never got caught—such a thing would mean certain death at the hands of the offended party. Carter laughed, assuming the deadpan Jaffa was pulling their legs, but his poker face gave nothing away. Jack decided Minnesota was a better place to grow up.

They made the eight hour hike in roughly six and a half hours, and when the forest opened into a wide clearing of tall grasses, they caught their first glimpse of the anomalous temple, nestled snugly in the 'v' of the valley. Only consideration for his elders prevented Daniel from sprinting the rest of the way to the walled structure below. Jack smiled and shook his head—it was like holding the leash of a hyper spaniel. Daniel the spaniel…had a ring to it, Jack decided, and his smile spread wider across his face.

There was nothing Jack could do to stop Daniel from dodging past Teal'c once they got close enough to the massive Roman arch that marked the entrance to the village. By the time the rest of the team caught up with him, Daniel was already groping the masonry.

"Huh," he muttered, blowing what looked like a century's worth of dust from an engraving in the stone archway. "See this? This is strange—it's mostly Latin, but there's also Goa'uld, Celtic, Greek, and Egyptian and Mayan hieroglyphs mixed in. If I had to guess based on this, I'd say it's a kind of trade language—like pidgin English."

"Fascinating," said Jack, a tad facetiously. "You do realise this is just the front door, right? At this rate it'll be Christmas before we get inside."

Daniel shot him a distracted glance and went back to studying his doorway.

Sam shared a look of amusement with Jack. They both knew this was Daniel's show—the rest of them were just the back-up singers on this trip. Jack walked right past the preoccupied archaeologist and joined Carter and Teal'c who were already heading through the arch and into the village beyond.

It was much bigger than it looked from the UAV feed, Jack thought. It was set up like a castle fortress, the thick stone wall protecting not only the temple, but also the small collection of buildings that made up the village. In its day, the village would have comfortably housed a few hundred souls, but it had long since been abandoned. Windows and doorways gaped open, the inner darkness yawning out at them as they passed.

The fortress wall deadened all sounds, lending the vacant town an eerie quality that almost had Jack spooked. Even to Jack's untrained eye this place was strange. There was no sense of harmony—there were so many jarring architectural anomalies that it was like walking through a carnival funhouse—all wrong angles and warped curves. It was like ten different architects got together to design a town and couldn't agree on a damned thing. Thatched roofs abutted stone and tile roofs—marble and brick, mud and wood—all of it battled for dominance in the cramped streets of the village.

Jack caught a glimpse of Daniel as he finally entered the walled village and wasn't in the least bit surprised to find the other man's jaw hanging open.

"Wha…? Wow!" Daniel exclaimed, his eyes trying to take in everything at once. "This is… Wow!"

"So _that's_ how you silence a linguist," said Carter, her eyes twinkling in the late day sun.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed, "Daniel Jackson does appear to be at an unusual loss for words."

Daniel didn't even hear them; he was too busy looking everywhere, absently brushing his long bangs out of his eyes every time the wind whipped them into his face. Jack had been pestering him to get a haircut—kept telling him that long hair simply wasn't practical in their line of work—but Daniel refused. He'd even resorted to wearing a bandana on his head, rather than cut off his bothersome locks. Jack had once asked him why he was so insistent on keeping his hair long. Daniel's one-word answer had been 'Shau'ri'. Enough said. If he was doing it for her, who was Jack to argue? In any case, he kind of thought it suited him.

Jack, Carter and Teal'c scouted ahead, ensuring there was no threat, while Daniel took his time soaking up his new surroundings.

"Carter, it'll be getting dark soon," said Jack. "We should set up camp near the temple so Daniel can get an early start tomorrow."

Carter looked back over her shoulder to where Daniel was still stumbling along after them, so awestruck that he wasn't watching where he was going. "Good idea…but do you really think you'll be able to hold Daniel off until morning?"

Jack followed her line of vision and had to fight back a smile—she was right, Daniel would be champing at the bit to get a look inside the temple before they called it a day. "Point taken," he said, and kept walking.

Teal'c and Sam found a suitable spot and efficiently went about setting up camp. Meanwhile, Jack rounded up Daniel. As he'd expected, the archaeologist was not about to leave the temple unexplored until morning. It took a while, but Jack finally managed to convince him that a quick sweep of the temple was all they would be able to accomplish before dark. It would be enough time to go in, get a feel for the place and decide where to start in the morning.

"Oh, and one more thing—Teal'c and I go in first to make sure it's safe," said Jack as the two of them approached the temple entrance where they'd set up camp.

"I really don't think that's necessary," Daniel argued. "This place has been abandoned for hundreds of years, by the looks of it."

"Yeah…it's always the quiet temples that grow up and bite ya in the ass," Jack pointed out, and Daniel couldn't argue with him—they'd had their share of surprises when it came to supposedly 'safe' places.

So, after a rushed dinner, Jack and Teal'c left Carter and an impatient Daniel behind and headed into the temple. With no outside light reaching beyond the open entrance, it was necessary to turn on their flashlights, the thin bands of light slicing through the blackness.

Jack was almost disappointed. There were no bad guys, no booby traps, no mounds of treasure waiting to be looted…nothing. Just a bunch of deserted, echoing chambers. The only saving grace, at least as far as Daniel was concerned, was the fact that most of the walls were decorated with more of that pigeon language he'd found so fascinating.

"Getting any bad vibes here, Teal'c?" asked Jack after they'd done a thorough sweep of the place.

"Vibes?" asked Teal'c, trying out the odd word on his tongue.

"Yeah—you know—heebie-jeebies? Willies?"

"I am unfamiliar with those terms, O'Neill."

"Never mind. My gut says this place is clean. Not much to write home about, is there?"

"Indeed. I believe Daniel Jackson will be greatly disappointed," said Teal'c.

Jack grunted in response and headed back outside. Daniel was waiting at the entrance, looking so excited that Jack couldn't help toying with him…just a little.

"Sorry, Daniel—can't let you go in there," he said, which resulted in one of the best pouts he'd ever witnessed.

"Um…why?"

"There's way too much dust in there, and with your allergies…" Jack said, petering off at the end.

Daniel crossed his arms and glared at his C.O. "Jack!"

"It's fine. It's safe. It's boring as hell. Go—knock yourself out," said Jack with a dismissive wave of his hand, but as Daniel rushed past him, he quickly added, "Two hours. If you're not out in two hours I'm coming in after you, and I'll drag you out kicking and screaming if I have to. Understood?"

"Yeah. Thanks!" Daniel shouted back, the light from his work lantern bobbing along in the darkness beyond.

As the sun's light faded from the alien sky and a smattering of pale moons rose to take its place, Jack kept checking his watch impatiently. Sure, he'd given Daniel two hours, but he'd honestly thought the archaeologist would go in, see that there was absolutely nothing of interest in there and come right back out again. But he'd been in there for two hours and…eleven minutes, according to Jack's watch, and that meant he'd have to keep his word and go in after him. As he got up from his spot by the fire, Teal'c rose as well.

"Do you require assistance, O'Neill?" he asked.

"No, T., I think I can manage Daniel by myself—even if he _is_ kicking and screaming."

Jack wandered through the jet black corridors of the temple, calling out to Daniel as he went. After several wrong turns, Jack finally saw the faint glow of Daniel's work lantern.

"Daniel!" he shouted.

"Here, Jack!" Daniel called back.

One more turn and Jack found himself in the temple's smallest chamber. It was so small it was more like an alcove than a chamber, but it was cram-packed with more of that weird writing. He should have known Daniel would be there. And he should have anticipated that Daniel would think it was the coolest thing since waffles, and wouldn't want to leave.

"Time to call it a night, Daniel," said Jack, rocking up on the balls of his feet.

"Just a few more minutes, Jack…I think I'm really close to something here."

"Now, Daniel—you'll have all day tomorrow to play with your new toy."

"But…"

"It'll still be here in the morning," said Jack. "Promise."

Daniel sighed, and quickly finished jotting down a few notes in his journal. He then grabbed his lantern and followed Jack out.

Jack wasn't really interested in the steady stream of facts and theories pouring out of Daniel's mouth as they walked, but he was listening closely enough to catch the important parts. Daniel thought this was an abandoned Goa'uld trading post, where everything from human slaves to the latest pilfered gadgets were bartered. And Daniel also thought he may have found a reference to a hidden storage chamber where the most valuable goods were kept to safeguard them against theft. It was a long shot that they would find anything in it—the rest of the temple and the surrounding village had been thoroughly cleaned out—but Daniel still felt it was worth a look.

Daniel's mood was infectious, and by the time they went to bed there was a distinct Christmas Eve atmosphere in the camp. Jack took first watch and was very surprised to find Daniel fast asleep in the tent when he turned the watch over to Carter.

He wasn't surprised, however, to find Daniel gone from their tent at the crack of dawn the next day. Jack crawled out of the tent and immediately questioned Teal'c on the whereabouts of their missing team member. As if he didn't already know where he was.

"When I relieved Daniel Jackson of his watch duties he informed me that it would be pointless for him to attempt to go back to sleep, and wished instead to return to his work. I did not see any harm in it."

"How long has he been in there?" asked Jack.

"It will soon be three hours," Teal'c replied.

"Alright. We'll give him another hour, and then drag him out for some breakfast."

Carter was just emerging from her tent when the hour was up. She took a quick glance around. "Daniel's already at it?" she asked.

"You betcha," Jack answered. "Been at it for hours already—I was just about to go in after him. It's time for breakfast, whether he likes it or not. I'll sit on him and force-feed him if I have to."

Carter laughed at the image Jack had created in her head and had to admit that at times they'd come close to doing just that. When Daniel set his mind to something it was damned hard to get his attention—even to eat.

Jack strode through the temple purposefully, his flashlight trained dead ahead as he manoeuvred through the dark corridors. The building's layout was fairly simple, and he knew exactly where he'd find Daniel. So it was a bit of a shock when Jack arrived at the little alcove with all the writing to discover that it was no longer such a little alcove. The back wall was gone, and a long, dark, featureless hallway stretched out where it used to be. Jack knew instantly that Daniel had found his hidden storage chamber, and anger flared up inside him. He'd drilled it into Daniel that he should never blindly wander into unknown territory without backup. It was stunts like that that could get them all killed.

"Daniel," he growled as he marched down the corridor. Part way down, he could see Daniel's work lantern emitting a soft glow from one of the side chambers about halfway down the hall. "Daniel!" he called out again, this time louder. And when there was still no answer, a tinge of worry crept into his voice as he shouted again, "Daniel!"

He rounded the open doorway at a dead run and his shoulders sagged with relief to see Daniel, alive and well, standing and staring at some old statue in the middle of the room. The archaeologist was so consumed with the artefact that he hadn't noticed Jack's arrival.

Jack quickly scanned the chamber for threats, but found nothing to be concerned about. The room was a veritable garage sale of Goa'uld and alien technology, and for the life of him, he couldn't see what was so fascinating about the relic Daniel was staring at. And come to think about it, Daniel still hadn't clued in to the fact that he was no longer alone—the guy was a walking, talking security nightmare.

Jack walked right up to him and barked, "Daniel!" Still no reaction. His worry meter jumped off the scale, and Jack grabbed his friend by the shoulders, spinning him around to face him. "Daniel—look at me!" he ordered.

Finally, Daniel blinked and focused on him. "Jack! Hi," he said, confused, as a very concerned-looking Jack cupped his cheek before giving his hair a serious ruffling. Daniel ducked his head away, pretending it bugged him. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd still be sleeping."

Jack peered closely into Daniel's eyes. For a moment he thought they looked a little weird—like there was a dark shadow passing over the blue of his eyes—but it was gone so quickly that he chalked it up to a trick of the light.

"I _was_ sleeping…an hour ago," Jack said, remembering why he'd been so angry. "You've been in here for hours. And what were you thinking, coming in here without backup? You know the risks!"

"And I took the necessary precautions," Daniel claimed, patting the radio at his shoulder. "Anyways, I only just found this place a minute ago. I haven't even had a chance to look around yet."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to look around after breakfast," Jack said, trying to retain some of his grumpiness, when mostly what he felt was relief that Daniel was safe.

"Breakfast?" Daniel gave him an odd look and glanced down at his watch. His lips pursed and his brow furrowed up in a frown. "That's weird…"

"What's weird?"

"I could have sworn I just got here…"

Jack shrugged. "Since when have you ever been able to keep track of time when it comes to stuff like this?"

Daniel's brow creased even further for a moment before he, too, shrugged and gathered up his gear. Jack was right—he'd been known to get lost in a translation for hours without a clue to the passage of time.

As they were about to leave the cluttered chamber, he cast one last glance at the Romanesque bust he'd been so drawn to. Aside from the unusual, gold-speckled stone it was carved from, there was very little of interest about it, as far as he could tell. He couldn't say why he'd been so fascinated with it in the first place.

The hollow eyes of the bust seemed to darken briefly as Daniel turned away and followed Jack out of the chamber. The inscription, carved in gold along the base of the bust, which Daniel had completely failed to notice, read "Amadeus".


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

After a speedy breakfast, and armed with Jack's permission, Daniel returned to the storage chamber, eager to get as many of the items catalogued as he could before the end of the day. Jack, Carter and Teal'c were planning to spend the day in a more detailed search of the village, to try and determine when and why the place had been abandoned.

Daniel truly hoped it would be a great day, and he attacked it with a vengeance. His plan of attack was to designate the door to the chamber as 'twelve o'clock' and work his way around the room clockwise until he got back to the door. The huge pile in the middle of the room would have to wait until the next day, he thought, realising it was unrealistic to think he could finish the room's perimeter in one day.

He was right, of course. Almost every object he picked up was fascinating and deserved hours of study. It took all his willpower to quickly catalogue each item and move on. And even working non-stop, he'd only managed to get to 'two o'clock' by mid afternoon.

Daniel felt a prickly sweat forming on his brow. He went to wipe it off, but found there was nothing there—his skin wasn't even warm to the touch. Daniel shrugged it off and went back to his work, but less than an hour later the prickling was back, and it was no longer confined to his forehead.

Daniel couldn't simply shrug it off this time—there was obviously something wrong with him. But it was more of an annoyance than anything, and he wasn't about to go whining to Jack just because he was coming down with the flu. So he kept going, trying to ignore the pins and needles that now blanketed his entire body, until finally, he had to admit that he was sick and needed to return to their camp.

By the time he reached the temple's entrance, the prickling sensation was so strong it felt like he was walking on shards of glass, and the feel of his clothes against his skin was agonizing. As he stumbled out into the sunlight, Carter spotted him and rushed over in time to catch him as he collapsed.

"Daniel! What happened?" she asked as she guided him over to their campsite. She sat him gently onto the ground, the back of her hand testing his forehead for fever.

"Started feeling a little sick in there," he stated simply.

"A little?" she asked incredulously.

Daniel ducked his head. "Alright—a lot sick."

"Are you feeling any better now?" she asked.

Daniel was ready to come back with a sarcastic 'oh yeah, feeling great', when he suddenly realised that he _was_ actually starting to feel better. "Yeah, actually, I am," he replied. "Maybe it was something in the air down there."

At that moment Jack and Teal'c arrived from their respective fact-finding missions.

"Hey there, campers," Jack said, clapping his hands together enthusiastically. "Back so soon? Daniel—I thought Teal'c would have to knock you out and drag you from that room."

"I, uh…well…I…" Daniel stumbled.

"Daniel was starting to feel sick in there, sir," Sam said, coming to his rescue. She knew how much Daniel hated being considered a weak link—even if, as in this case, it was something he had no control over.

"I'm feeling okay now," Daniel said in his defence. "I'm sure it's nothing. In fact, I'm ready to go back in there."

Jack's deep brown eyes narrowed, studying Daniel carefully. "Uh-huh. You're not going anywhere until you stop with the albino impersonation—you're white as a sheet, Daniel."

"Jack," Daniel protested.

Jack held up his hand. "Aht! I don't wanna hear it. Sit down. Relax. Have some food. And if I think you can manage it without passing out, I'll let you go back in there after dinner. And not alone—I want Carter to go with you."

Daniel was anything but grateful. He felt fine now, and he didn't think sitting around uselessly for a couple of hours would make a difference. He hated being coddled—he was a grown man—he didn't need a keeper. But what choice did he have? he thought miserably. If he gave Jack a hard time he would lose whatever chance he had of returning to the chamber after dinner.

"Fine," Daniel grumbled, his blue eyes sharp with unspoken defiance.

"Good," said Jack, giving him a hearty thump on the back.

In the end, Daniel had to admit Jack was right—he did feel a lot better after eating and relaxing for a while. The prickling hadn't come back, and he felt completely normal again. Better than normal, actually—he felt rejuvenated.

Jack must have decided his pallor passed muster, because shortly after their meal was over he gave Daniel the green light… Provided he take Sam along to baby-sit.

Daniel was _not_ going to make a fuss about it. After all, Jack had good reason to take precautions. Daniel just had to keep reminding himself that Jack's order wasn't a personal attack on his ability to go un-chaperoned. And if truth be told, he could really use Sam's help anyway. He got her set up working on the pile in the centre of the room as he continued his work from the 'two o'clock' position along the walls.

* * *

If Daniel had thought having Sam there would make the work go faster, he was wrong. With someone there to talk to and bounce ideas off, it was taking twice as long to get the cataloguing done.

And the pins and needles were starting to come back…

"Hey, Daniel, come and take a look at this—I'm picking up faint traces of energy from it," said Sam, holding her gauge up to a gold-flecked Romanesque bust. "Any idea what it might be?"

Daniel tuned out the tickling-stabbing feeling and went over to see what Sam had found. He immediately recognised the statue as the one he'd had a staring contest with on his first exploration of the chamber, but he didn't remember there being any writing on the bust. Actually, the only thing he really remembered about it was the eyes…there had been something odd about the eyes.

He studied it closely, but he couldn't see anything unusual about it now. "Is it safe?" he asked.

Carter nodded. "The energy levels are extremely weak—not even high enough to power your watch—so yes, I'd say it's safe."

Daniel turned the statue towards the light and read the inscription out loud. "_Amadeus_. It means 'God's love' or 'loved by the gods', depending on historical context. Considering this is a Goa'uld trading post, it's most likely 'loved by the gods'."

"So…this man wasn't a Goa'uld?"

"Not likely. A Goa'uld wouldn't take on a name that suggests subordination. More likely, this was a man whom the Goa'uld respected or admired, or who people believed was respected or admired by the Goa'uld. Or it could just be the guy's name." He shrugged again and swiped a hand over his face, trying to wipe away the prickling pain.

"Daniel?" asked Carter, as she took in his pasty complexion and pained expression.

"I'm fine, Sam."

Carter just frowned at him and crossed her arms.

"Really. I'm fine," he said, attempting to sound chipper. "Better get back to it—we've got a lot of ground to cover."

He knew Sam didn't believe him, and he also knew she'd be keeping a much closer eye on him, but he tried not to let that interfere with his work. But twenty minutes later it was the pain, not Sam, that finally forced him to admit defeat.

Daniel turned to find Sam still occupied with the statue, trying to figure out what its function was. He took a step towards her and got out a wheezy breath before crumpling to the floor. He had been so engrossed in his work that he hadn't realised just how bad the pain had become.

He was aware of Sam kneeling over him, he heard her radio for help, but he was finding it hard to concentrate.

"Daniel, is it the same as last time?" asked Sam.

Daniel shook his head and forced his mouth to work. "Worse," he managed to croak.

"Okay, Daniel, Teal'c's coming, and the two of us will get you out of here."

Daniel cracked his eyes open and looked up at her. "Are you…?"

"I'm fine," she answered. "So far, at least. But I don't think Colonel O'Neill will let either of us come back in here until it's been tested for contamination and radiation."

Daniel's eyes fluttered shut and he could only answer her with a quick nod.

"What exactly are you feeling?" she asked.

"Pain," Daniel bit out through clenched teeth. "Like I'm being stabbed with a hot poker."

"Where?"

"Everywhere," he gasped, drawing his knees up to his chest. "God, it hurts everywhere!"

Sam's hands hovered over him, having no idea what to do for him. She didn't even know what to say to him—this sort of thing had never been her strong suit. She felt a guilty relief when she heard Teal'c's running footsteps echoing up the hallway towards them.

Teal'c appeared in the doorway, pausing briefly to scan the room for threats before entering. He soon came upon Captain Carter and Daniel Jackson on the floor in the centre of the chamber.

"Teal'c!" Carter called out. "We've got to get him out of here fast."

Teal'c nodded and in one fluid motion he scooped Daniel off the floor. With the trembling man cradled in his arms, he ran from the room. Carter followed, close on his heels, and they made it out of the temple faster than she would have thought possible.

Jack was waiting at the campsite. He'd set up a cot near the fire and was pacing anxiously, ready to radio SG-2 for assistance if needed. When he saw Teal'c coming out of the twilit shadows of the temple with Daniel in his arms, Jack feared the worst.

"How bad is he?" he asked Carter as Teal'c lay the archaeologist down gently onto the cot.

"Bad, sir," answered Sam.

Jack's lips drew into a hard line, and he crouched down next to Daniel. The other man squinted up at him, his face drawn and ghostly pale. Jack patted his shoulder. "Hang in there, Danny. It's getting dark, but if we have to we'll figure out a way to get you back to the Stargate tonight."

Daniel blinked up at him, looking perplexed. "Actually…I'm starting to feel better." And he did look better.

Sam and Jack exchanged glances over him.

"It's possible whatever is causing Daniel to feel sick needs to be in close proximity to have an effect on him," Sam suggested.

"That would appear to be the case," Teal'c agreed, marking the noticeable change in Daniel's condition.

"Alright," said Jack, turning his attention over to Daniel. "I'm keeping a close eye on you tonight. Any indication that you're getting worse instead of better and we're outta here. And under no circumstances is anyone to set foot in that temple again."

"Jack…" said Daniel.

"No arguments," Jack said, anticipating Daniel's next comment. "I'm not risking anyone else getting sick in there."

"Jack…"

"No! What did I just say?"

"Hear me out," Daniel persisted. "I've barely scratched the surface in there, and already I've come across things that would keep our scientists on the payroll for decades. You can't just lock it up and throw away the key."

"That'll be up to Hammond to decide," said Jack. "But you know he's not going to give the green light until he's absolutely sure it's safe."

Daniel knew Jack was right—it would be irresponsible to send anyone into the temple until they discovered what it was that had made him sick. It didn't change the fact that he was watching the opportunity of a lifetime slip between his fingers.

Jack took Daniel's silence as grudging assent. He knew how much this mission meant to him, and he wished he could give Daniel what he wanted—but he had no choice but to be resolute on this one.

"Okay, everyone—that's a wrap," said Jack, clapping his hands together. "I'll radio SG-2 and fill them in on the situation. Teal'c, it's your turn to cook, I believe. Tonight it's dinner and lights out—we have an early start tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," said Carter, and she added a log to their fire. Teal'c nodded in reply, and Daniel, still enjoying a bit of a sulk over his lost treasure, simply sat on his fireside cot and stared into the glowing embers.

* * *

Daniel was unusually quiet over dinner, and Jack knew there would be an argument once they were alone together in their tent. He was right. As soon as Daniel came in from taking first watch, he started in on his side of the argument as if there had been no interruption. Only, now he'd had thinking time to strengthen his case.

"Jack, I need to go back in there," he said, shooting out the words at a rapid-fire pace. "Now before you go all Air Force on me, just listen to what I have to say. I've already been exposed to whatever it is that was making me sick—if I go in alone, you won't be putting anyone else at risk. And I can come back out at the first indication that the symptoms are returning. Please, Jack—I've barely made a dent in my cataloguing."

"Out of the question, Daniel," Jack stated firmly. "The second time you went in there your symptoms were much worse than the first time. How do you know the next time you go in there you won't collapse on the spot? It's too risky." Jack could almost see the wheels turning in Daniel's brain as the younger man tried to come up with a rebuttal.

"At least let me go back and get my notebook," Daniel pleaded at last.

"No, Daniel," said Jack. "Nobody sets foot in that temple until it's been cleared. And I swear, if you go sneaking back in there in the middle of the night, I will personally kick your ass from here to the Stargate—if you come out alive, that is."

Daniel peered into Jack's eyes, reading them the same way he read ancient texts—with an understanding that went deeper than mere surface translation. He quickly surmised that Jack was not going to budge on this. With a sigh and a shrug, Daniel admitted defeat. "Fine. But if General Hammond determines it's safe, will you at least consider letting me go back in there?"

"I'll consider it," said Jack, but soon squashed Daniel's triumphant smile by adding, "but I can't see it happening. I think it's best to err on the side of caution on this one, Daniel."

In frustrated silence, Daniel shucked off his boots and climbed into his sleeping bag, giving his pillow a good punch.

Jack sighed. He hated these arguments—he hated feeling like the big, bad ogre, when he was just doing his job, and keeping Daniel alive in the process. He thought Daniel sometimes forgot they were on an alien planet when they went through the 'gate. He'd wander off and talked to strangers like he was some kind of tourist in Mexico. Jack often wondered how a man as smart as Daniel could be so stupid when it came down to basic self-preservation. Still, Jack thought as he drifted off to sleep, at least Daniel was learning to trust him on these things.

* * *

The first warm rays of the morning sun filtered into their tent, dragging Jack out of a very peaceful sleep. Even before he could rub the crust out of his eyes, Jack sensed something was different. It took a full ten seconds for his sluggish waking brain figured out that the sleeping bag positions had changed. Daniel's bag had somehow migrated over to Jack's side of the tent, and the other man was now happily crowding him up against the wall of the tent.

Shrugging it off as unusual but unimportant, Jack elbowed Daniel in the ribs to get him to move. A displeased 'Mmph,' was the only answer he received.

"Daniel," Jack said, giving his friend another nudge.

"Five more minutes," Daniel mumbled, tugging his sleeping bag up to his nose and burying his face in the pillow.

Jack had had every intention of being the hard-ass colonel and dragging him out of bed, but Daniel looked so warm and cosy that he caved. "Alright, you win. Five minutes—no more," he said as he wriggled out of his own bag and crawled over the inert archaeologist.

Jack had barely settled in front of the spent campfire when Daniel appeared from their tent. Jack frowned. Not only had the other man gotten out of bed without the usual threats of violence, but he also looked…bubbly. And he hadn't even had his morning coffee yet.

"Morning!" Daniel beamed at him, rubbing his hands together to warm them.

Suddenly, Jack caught on. "No."

"No, it's not morning?" Daniel asked, confused.

"No, you're not going back in there. We discussed this last night," Jack stated.

Now Daniel was looking really confused. "I know, Jack. I was there, remember?"

"Then what's with the sunshine and daffodils routine?"

"What—can't a person simply be in a good mood?"

"Not in my experience," Jack replied.

"That's just sad, Jack," Daniel said, shaking his head as he folded his bandana to wear for the hike home.

"Whatever," Jack answered. He stirred the ashes of the campfire, sparking a few embers to get the new kindling going.

They had breakfast and packed up camp in good time, and as they were hiking back to the 'gate, Jack couldn't help feeling unsettled. Not once had Daniel complained about leaving the temple behind. Plus, whenever he looked over at him, Jack got a cheerful smile in return—it didn't track. Jack decided a little goading was in order.

"So, Danny—too bad about the temple, huh?" Okay, even Jack had to admit it was obvious what he was trying to do.

"Won't work, Jack," Daniel replied.

"Come on; you're not the least bit…miffed?"

Daniel squinted at him, blinded partly by the bright sun in his eyes. "I was last night," he admitted. "But you were right—it's too risky to go back in without running some tests first."

"Okay—who are you and where did you put the read Daniel?" asked Jack.

Daniel laughed—the kind of light-hearted laugh he seldom shared with anyone. The laugh Jack had been privileged to hear only a few times himself. "It's me, Jack. I'm just…feeling good right now. Okay?"

Jack studied him with a level eye. Daniel seemed to be genuinely happy, and it had been a long time since he'd seen him like this. The last time he'd seen him this happy was back on Abydos before his wife had been taken by Apophis. He wasn't about to spoil his mood. "Okay," he agreed. "Hey—if Fraiser lets you out of the infirmary you wanna come over for dinner? You may not know it, but I make a damn fine stir fry."

Daniel's smile crinkled up his nose. "Sure, Jack. I'd love to." Jack returned the smile, relieved that Daniel was feeling so much better, and already mentally planning for dinner.

* * *

That evening when they'd finally made it back to the SGC Gate Room, they were immediately set upon by Dr. Fraiser and her team. Hammond was there, too, working late to see them safely home. Once he was convinced that none of his people were in any immediate danger, he ordered SG-2 to write up their reports in the morning, and told SG-1 to meet him in the Briefing Room as soon as Dr. Fraiser had cleared them.

As it turned out, their examinations went smoothly and they all checked out normal. Fraiser had taken an extra two vials of blood from each of them for further testing, but as far as she could see, they were all in perfect health.

"Okay," she said in her efficient way, tossing the last needle into the biohazard disposal. "You're good to go." As the entire team immediately jumped off their respective exam beds to leave, she corrected herself. "Sorry, Daniel—not you. I need you to stay here for observation. I don't want you going home until I have all your test results back."

Daniel gave Jack an apologetic look. "Guess we'll have to do dinner some other night."

"Any time," said Jack, giving Daniel's shoulder a pat before joining the rest of his team to see Hammond.

Daniel slumped back down onto his exam bed with a resigned sigh and watched Fraiser as she attached his file to her clipboard. It was time for twenty questions, and Daniel suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at her—couldn't she see he was fine?

"Okay, Daniel—when exactly did you first start feeling ill?" she asked.

"It started the second time I went into the storage chamber. I'd been in there for a while, working by myself. It wasn't bad at first—I thought I was coming down with the flu or something."

"And the pain stopped when you left the temple?" asked Fraiser.

Daniel nodded, doing his best to be a good patient so he could get out of there faster. "I felt better almost as soon as I got back to camp."

"So you haven't felt any symptoms except when you were in the temple?"

"None. Actually, I've never felt better," said Daniel with a smile. It faded when he realised Janet wasn't buying it.

"Can you describe the pain?" Fraiser asked, having jotted a few notes down on her chart.

"It's uh… Oh god," Daniel muttered, his eyes growing wide. "It's—it's coming back!"

Janet lowered her clipboard and studied her patient with growing concern. "The pain is coming back?"

Daniel nodded, wrapping his arms around his waist and rocking back and forth on the bed. "It's just like the last time." He sucked in his breath in a deep hiss. "Oh God—it's getting worse," he said and turned pleading eyes up to Janet. "Do something—please!"

Fraiser dropped her clipboard onto the bed. "How bad is it, on a scale of one to ten?" she asked as she prepared a hypodermic full of Hydromorphone.

"Only a five now, but it's getting worse. And the last time… It's like a million paper cuts all over your body, and then it starts to burn."

"Alright, hang on, Daniel," she said. She quickly swabbed a patch on his arm and gave him the injection. "You should lie back—this stuff works pretty fast. It can also make you nauseas—let me know if you need something for that."

Daniel complied and lay back on the bed, waiting for the painkiller to kick in. But after a few minutes the pain was getting worse instead of better. He wanted to tell Janet that it wasn't working, but all that escaped his lips was a strangled groan.


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

Carter was in the middle of an enthusiastic report on the contents of the storage chamber—so enthusiastic, in fact, that it would have made Daniel proud—when Dr. Fraiser arrived.

"Dr. Fraiser?" asked Hammond by way of address.

"Sir—sorry to interrupt…"

"It's Daniel, isn't it?" asked Jack before she could finish.

"I'm afraid so," she admitted, and the expression on her face left no doubt as to the nature of the news. "He's suffering from the same symptoms he complained of in the temple…and so far none of the medications I've given him have helped. Sir—whatever this is, it's clearly no longer confined to the temple off-world. I've moved Daniel to an isolation room, and I'd like to keep close tabs on the rest of SG-1 until I can rule out a virus as the potential cause."

"How bad is he?" asked Carter, remembering his last attack vividly.

"According to Daniel, the pain has gone from a five to a seven in the last half an hour—with ten being a Goa'uld ribbon device."

Jack winced. If anyone knew how to gauge pain, it was Daniel; and if it was up to a seven on Daniel's scale, it had to be damn-near unbearable for the average human being. "Can we see him?" he asked.

"Until I've finished running my tests he's under strict quarantine," said Fraiser. "But you can see him through the observation window," she suggested.

Jack would have preferred to be at his friend's side than behind a protective barrier, but he would take what he could get. He turned to Hammond. "Sir, with your permission?"

Hammond nodded. "Permission granted. Keep me posted."

The team rose as one and followed Dr. Fraiser out of the Briefing Room. It was a silent procession, with all of them worrying about Daniel and the possible contagion they may have unwittingly unleashed upon the SGC.

Jack, Teal'c and Carter filed into the cramped observation room and looked down through the window at their team-mate. Daniel was balled up on his side, rocking back and forth to help him deal with the pain.

"Can't you give him anything stronger?" asked Jack, finding it hard to watch his friend's suffering without being able to do something about it.

Fraiser shook her head. "I've already given him the maximum dose—any more right now could be dangerous."

"I do believe Daniel Jackson's condition is improving," said Teal'c, and four sets of eyes swivelled to face Daniel, who was slowly unfurling from his foetal position.

Janet quickly switched on the microphone. Daniel, how are you feeling?" she asked.

Daniel's red-rimmed eyes searched her out. He looked pale and shaky, but he seemed to be relaxing. "A bit better, actually," he said, seemingly surprised by the fact. "Whatever you gave me must have finally kicked in."

"I guess so," said Janet, although she looked doubtful. "Give me a minute, Daniel, and I'll be in to check you over."

"Great—more needles," Daniel complained.

Jack and Sam shared a smile—the snarkiness was a good sign he was feeling better.

* * *

The night was wearing on and Jack had ordered Carter and Teal'c to get some rest. They'd taken turns keeping watch over Daniel as the young man's condition fluctuated. Jack had been absent during the bad spells, but he'd been informed by Carter that at times the Daniel-Pain-O-Meter rose to an eight. On some superstitious level, Jack was convinced that Daniel got worse on purpose just to make him go running back to the observation room to keep him company.

It was coming on 04:00 hours, and the base was stripped down to its skeleton crew. Jack knew he should follow the advice he'd given Carter and Teal'c and head to his on-base quarters to get some sleep, but he knew he wouldn't be able to relax until he knew what was wrong with Daniel.

"I thought I'd find you here," came the sound of a feminine voice from behind him.

Jack swivelled in his chair to see Janet Fraiser standing in the doorway. "Please tell me you've got good news," said Jack, rolling his shoulders to loosen some of the tension that had been building up there.

"Partly," she replied and pulled up a chair to sit facing the colonel. "The good news is that I've ruled out a virus as the cause of Daniel's illness, and he seems to have stabilised."

"And the bad news?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

Janet sighed and rubbed the knotted muscles in her neck. "The bad news it that he's still hovering around a level four on the pain scale and the alien organisms I found in his blood are unlike anything I've ever seen before."

Jack sank back in his chair with a groan. "Can I at least sit with him now?" he asked.

The colonel looked so worn out that Fraiser was tempted to say no and order him to get some sleep. But she knew O'Neill well enough by now to know that it wouldn't do any good. "I don't see why not," she said. "Just promise me you'll let him rest."

"Promise," Jack agreed, giving her the Scout's Honour sign and a look of cherubic innocence.

Janet softly laughed, "Go on, then," she said, and headed back to her lab.

Jack sauntered into the Isolation Room with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, going for 'casual'. He didn't want Daniel to know how much he had him worried—the guy had enough troubles of his own without having to deal with other people worrying over him. As he approached Daniel's bed he saw that the other man's eyes were squeezed shut, so the casual sauntering had been wasted. But although Daniel's eyes were closed, he was too tensed up to be sleeping.

"Hey," said Jack quietly.

Daniel's eyes cracked open, squinting back at him blearily. "Hey, Jack," he answered. He squirmed under the sheets, trying to sit up, but Jack gently pushed him back down.

"Nuh-uh. Janet gave me strict orders to see to it that you rest."

Daniel took in a long, deep breath and let it out in a relaxed sigh. He could feel the pain ebbing away, and it was such a relief that it actually brought tears to his eyes.

"You okay?" Jack asked, ready to call the nurse if needed.

Daniel tried to smile reassuringly at him, but he was too tired to pull it off convincingly. "Feeling much better now, thanks," he answered, and his face split open in an enormous yawn.

"Maybe it's me," Jack said with a lopsided grin. "I have that effect on people—it's well documented."

That got a full-sized smile out of Daniel—only Jack's ego could stretch that far, he thought. "Sit with me for a while?" he asked. He was fighting a losing battle to keep his eyes open, and he wouldn't be very good company, but Daniel liked knowing he wasn't alone…just in case the pain came back.

"Sure, why not? But don't get me in trouble with Fraiser—she'll kill me if she thinks I kept you awake all night," said Jack. He needn't have worried; less than a minute later Daniel's eyelids gave up the fight and slid shut. He was out for the count.

* * *

Jack awoke with somebody shaking him by the shoulder. Jack groaned—he'd fallen asleep in the chair next to Daniel, and his neck was paying the price for it.

"Sleep well, Colonel?" asked Janet in a whisper.

With special care, Jack sat up and stretched the kink out of his neck. Daniel was still sleeping. "How is he?"

Janet looked down at her sleeping patient with a slight frown. "To be honest, he should be much worse than he appears to be."

Jack's eyebrows rose in question.

"The blood samples I took from him last night showed a large number of…well, to tell the truth, I'm not really sure what they are just yet. But these organisms are highly active, and based on the tests I've run, they seem to attack nerve cells. As far as I can tell, they attach themselves to the nerve cells and trigger them to send impulses to the pain receptors of the brain. Now I can't be sure without performing some rather invasive tests, but it's my guess that there are more of these organisms in his brain, blocking the effects of our medications."

"Bottom line?" asked Jack, his head throbbing from the barrage of jargon on his tired brain.

"Bottom line? These things have commandeered Daniel's nervous system—they have complete control over how much or how little pain he feels, and nothing I have tried so far seems to make a damn bit of difference."

"But he seems to be okay now," Jack pointed out.

Janet's frown deepened as she looked back down at Daniel. "He does, doesn't he?" she agreed. "But for the life of me, I don't know why." With a little shake of her head she went to the instrument cart and pulled out a syringe. She gave Jack a nod, and he placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

A hint of blue peeked through the dark smudge of eyelashes. "Hey," Daniel mumbled, his whole body unfurling in a luxurious stretch.

"Hey," Jack answered with a flash of a smile.

"What time is it?" asked Daniel.

"Time to feed the vampire," Jack replied, delighted at the scrunched look of confusion on his friend's face. "Janet wants more blood," he explained.

Janet stepped forward, syringe in one hand, alcohol swab in the other. "Sorry, Daniel, but I need to run a few more tests. You can go back to sleep as soon as I'm done. In fact, I insist on it," she said with a 'no arguments' look on her face.

There were none of the usual grumbled complaints as Daniel proffered an arm to be jabbed. "I'm starving," he said as Janet got him to press down on the cotton pad covering the fresh needle mark.

Jack raised a brow at Janet in silent question and her eyes answered him back—yes, it was definitely a good sign.

"I'll have something brought up from the commissary," she said, looking decidedly pleased with her patient's progress.

As Janet left with her new blood sample, Jack nudged Daniel over and sat on the edge of his bed. "Feeling better, huh?" he asked.

"Better than 'better'," Daniel replied, pushing the blankets down so he could sit up. "I feel great. Seriously," he said, seeing Jack's look of disbelief. "In fact, I feel like doing something."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Basketball. Wanna sneak off to the Gym and throw a few hoops?"

"Janet would have my balls it I let you outta here," said Jack. "And I like my balls right where they are, thank-you very much."

"Well, I've got to do _something_," Daniel said, fidgeting with his hospital gown. "I feel too good to just sit here." He shoved the blankets off entirely and swung his legs out of the bed so he was sitting beside Jack.

"Whoa, Danny! Hold up there—it's _my_ balls on the line, remember?"

"At least let me get out of bed, Jack. I can't waste this. What if it comes back again? What if…?"

"What if…" Jack prompted.

"What if the pain comes back and doesn't go away? What if this is the last time I feel this good?" he asked quietly, his eyes losing some of their light.

Jack bumped shoulders with him, and in his most authoritarian voice, said, "Not gonna happen. Janet will figure out what this is and have a cure before you know it."

Daniel smiled weakly at Jack, appreciating the sentiment, even if he had a hard time believing him. They shared a heavy silence, weighed down by fears and doubts, but neither of them wanted to say anything that might jinx Jack's prediction.

When a young airman arrived with a breakfast tray for Daniel, Jack took the opportunity to make his exit. "Look, Danny—I've got to shower and grab a bite before my briefing. You gonna be okay?"

Daniel gave him a thumb's up, his mouth too full of scrambled egg to answer properly. He was starving, and even crappy commissary food tasted great at the moment. Daniel was too busy buttering a piece of toast to wave back at his CO when he left.

* * *

The hot shower slowly melted away the hours of tension and worry, and by the time he entered the Briefing Room Jack felt awake and refreshed. Of course, it didn't hurt that Daniel's condition had improved…that was a big weight off his shoulders.

"Colonel, please have a seat," said Hammond formally. Teal'c and Carter were already seated, looking better for having got some rest, as ordered. "Dr. Fraiser informs me that Dr. Jackson has taken a turn for the worse."

"He had a pretty rough night, Sir," Jack agreed. "But he's doing much better now. The last I saw him he was putting away a king-size breakfast."

Hammond's sympathetic glance told Jack everything before he even opened his mouth to speak. "I just received word from Dr. Fraiser; it seems his recovery was short-lived."

"Damn!" Jack exclaimed, drawing everyone's eyes to him and eliciting a disapproving glare from his CO. "Sorry, Sir, but I was just there! Jeez—can't leave the guy alone for a minute! Sir, permission to go back to the planet? The answer has to be there somewhere."

"He's right, Sir," Carter chipped in. "No one else has shown any symptoms. Whatever made Daniel sick must be something that only he came into direct contact with. If we can find out what it was, maybe we can figure out how to help him."

"I concur—I, too, believe returning to the temple is the only way to shed light on Daniel Jackson's ailment," Teal'c added.

Hammond held up a hand. "Alright, people, no need to go on—I've already decided to send you back to PIK 260. SG-2 will back you up—full hazmat for all of you until Captain Carter completes a thorough contamination sweep of the temple. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir," Jack and Sam answered in unison, Teal'c giving his customary nod.

"You've got a go," said Hammond. "Let's get to the bottom of this, folks. Dismissed."

* * *

Daniel wanted to die. He'd been through a lot in his life—hell, he'd even died a couple of times—and nothing came close to the sheer agony he was going through now. He'd screamed until his voice gave out, not giving a damn what anyone thought of him. He was vaguely aware that most of the nurses were anxious—of him, or for him, he couldn't be sure—and they did their best to stay out of his way.

Janet had given him endless injections. Painkillers of every variety had been tried, along with muscle relaxants, anti-depressants and tranquillisers, but nothing had any effect on him. He'd lied when he'd told Janet the pain was a nine on a scale of one to ten—the pain had shot past ten hours ago, and just when Daniel thought it couldn't get any worse, it did.

It felt like someone had doused him in gasoline and set him on fire, like his entire body, inside and out, was slowly being consumed, his flesh burning and renewing itself in a never-ending cycle. It just wouldn't stop! Daniel was slipping. There was nothing he could do to lessen the pain; no position he could find that was more comfortable, no pressure points to push or movements to make that would alleviate the pain even for a moment. There was nowhere to hide from it, and Daniel was slipping.

He'd actually begged Janet to give him an overdose of morphine and put an end to it, but of course she wouldn't. All he'd managed to do was alert her to his state of mind, and to prevent him from taking matters into his own hands, she'd had him restrained.

And he was slipping. Daniel knew that if the pain didn't end soon, his friends would find there was nothing left of him to save.

* * *

Twenty-six hours after embarking through the 'gate to PIX 260, SG-1 and SG-2 arrived back home, bringing with them an entire FRED-full of artefacts from the storage chamber where Daniel had shown his first symptoms. Both teams were exhausted, doing in one day what would normally have taken three, spurred on by continued updates on Daniel's condition as relayed through the MALP.

A weary-looking General Hammond met them in the Gate Room. "Welcome back, SG-1, SG-2."

"How is he?" asked Jack, getting straight to the point.

"I'll let Dr. Fraiser brief you on his condition," said Hammond. "But first, shower, change and get something to eat. Debrief in one hour."

Jack and the others dragged themselves down the corridors towards the locker rooms, letting the scientists deal with the pile of artefacts they'd brought back. But as they arrived at the locker room door, Jack stopped instead of following Carter in.

"Sir?" she asked.

"I'll be back in a minute," he said distractedly, and took off back down the hallway again. Sam shrugged and headed for her locker, knowing Jack was going to check on Daniel and that he'd return to fill them in on the situation.

There were guards posted outside Daniel's isolation room, and Jack was told that Janet had given them strict orders to let no one but medical staff in without her permission. Jack had, of course, pulled rank on them, but Janet was scarier than he was, and the guards refused to budge.

Jack fumed all the way to Janet's laboratory, ready to tear a strip off her the second he got within shouting distance. However, when he saw her bent over her desk, and the dark smudges under her eyes, he softened somewhat. She'd obviously been working just as hard, if not harder, than the rest of them to figure this one out.

"Hey, Doc," he said, coming up to stand next to her.

Janet's head shot up from her work and she acknowledged his greeting with a half-hearted smile.

"Having any luck?" he asked, peering into the microscope she had set up next to the computer.

Janet shook her head sadly. "You can see for yourself," she said, gesturing towards the microscope. "I've tried everything in my arsenal, but the alien organisms in Daniel's blood sample are still buzzing around like crazy in there."

"Uh…Janet? Are those organism things the little squid-like doohickeys?" asked Jack, once again squinting through the eye piece of the microscope.

"Yes," Janet answered. "Why?"

"I think they're dead," he said. "Or at least sleeping."

"Let me see," said Janet, butting Jack out the way like a pushy kid in a playground to see for herself. Jack was right—the organisms appeared to be dormant. Janet's eyes brightened and a real smile lit up her face. "Come with me, Colonel. I have a theory I'd like to test."

Jack blinked at Janet's retreating back, still processing their conversation by the time she'd already made it out of the lab. Even with his longer stride he had to walk at a fast clip to keep up with her. She clearly had a bee in her bonnet, and when they arrived at Daniel's room, the guards backed out of the way of the diminutive doctor.

Janet stopped Jack before letting him into the room. "I should warn you that Daniel is in pretty rough shape. Noise and light make the pain worse, so try to be quiet," she said and opened the door just enough for them to enter the dimly-lit room.

Even with her warning, Jack wasn't prepared for what he saw. Daniel, strapped down on the bed, was drenched in sweat from his struggles. His glazed eyes had a mad glint to them as they fixed on Jack, and he felt a sick, twisting feeling in his gut at the desperation he saw in the other man's face. Without thinking to ask Janet's permission, Jack hurried over to Daniel's side, clasping his friend's hand between his own.

The effect was drastic and immediate. Daniel's struggling ceased and he went limp on the bed, a look of utter relief on his face. A single tear slipped out from behind closed eyelids to streak a trail down to the pillow.

Stunned, Jack turned to Janet for an explanation.

"I was right," she said, sounding almost as surprised as Jack felt.

"Right about what?" Jack whispered.

"Somehow—I'm not sure how, precisely—your presence neutralises the alien organisms," Janet answered.

His mouth still gaping, Jack turned his attention back to Daniel, who'd passed out and was now sound asleep, pain-free for the first time in more than twenty-eight hours.

"Looks like the two of you will be roomies for a while," Janet said, giving Jack a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Great," Jack muttered, pulling up a chair in preparation for another long, uncomfortable night's vigil.


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

At some point during the night Janet took pity on the colonel and had a second cot brought up to the isolation room so he could stretch out and get a proper night's sleep. Janet, taking a dose of her own medicine, decided it was finally time for her to go home and get some sleep herself. She'd been pushing herself too hard on this one and she knew she'd be of little use to anyone in her current state. Drawing on her last reserves of energy, Janet left explicit instructions with her staff and a detailed report on General Hammond's desk and made her escape from the mountain.

The only person who hadn't been informed of Daniel's situation—the one person it affected the most—was Daniel himself.

It was a little after five in the morning when Daniel woke up feeling restless and invigorated. The pain was nothing more than a dreaded memory, and if it hadn't been so vivid, he might have believed he'd dreamt it. As he stretched out on the cot he caught a whiff of his own acrid body odour and coughed at the pungency—if that wasn't proof enough of what he'd been through, nothing was. He was in dire need of a hot shower…and a huge meal, if the loud rumbling in his stomach was anything to go by.

A soft snore grabbed his attention and Daniel rolled onto his side to see Jack asleep in a bed next to his. He smiled, touched that his CO had stayed with him the whole night. He knew it went above and beyond the call of duty, and was once again grateful that he was part of such a close-knit team. Daniel contemplated waking Jack up to let him know he was heading for the showers, but he looked like he was dead to the world…and besides, Daniel felt great. He figured he'd be able to make it to the showers and back before anyone could miss him.

Sure, Janet would probably have his head for this, he thought, but he reeked and he felt grimy, and he wasn't about to wait around until someone decided to give him a sponge bath. Decision made, Daniel slid out of bed and crept past the sleeping colonel to sneak out of the isolation room.

The mountain complex was quiet at this time of the morning, and Daniel made it to the showers without being spotted—a good thing, too, considering he was dressed only in his hospital scrubs.

As he peeled off the soiled infirmary-wear, Daniel had to admit that he hadn't really thought this through. He only had his street clothes in his locker, and the thought of changing back into his dirty scrubs made his skin crawl. And who was he kidding? Not only would Janet have his head, but Jack would also be furious with him for taking off the way he had. But he was here now, and he could almost hear the showers calling his name.

The first hot spray of water through his hair felt like Heaven. He felt the warm tendrils of water envelop his torso and sluice down his back and he sighed at the deliciousness of it. The shampoo and soap felt even better, the fragrant lather replacing the sour tang of sweat, making him feel human again.

The last of the soapy water was puddling at the drain when the pain hit. It shot through him like a flash fire, rocketing from a zero to off the charts in a matter of seconds. It came on so fast that his bellow of pain had no time to escape his throat, and his mouth froze open in a silent cry as his body crumpled in on itself. Curled up in a ball on the floor of the showers, the cooling water pelting his back, Daniel wrapped himself in a tight hug and prayed that someone would find him. Soon.

* * *

Jack awoke to the sound of a woman gasping—and not in a good way. Instantly on guard, he threw back his covers and sat up. The newest member of Janet's nursing staff—Evie…or was it Elizabeth?—was staring at Daniel's empty bed in horror. Misplacing a patient, let alone the facility's chief civilian consultant, was not going to look good on her record. But somehow Jack couldn't find it in him to take pity on the girl—she'd lost Daniel!

"How long's he been gone?" Jack barked at the stunned young nurse, already out of bed and slipping on his shoes.

"I check in on him every half an hour," she replied numbly, her large hazel eyes blinking rapidly as if to fend off the colonel's scolding tone.

Jack brusquely pushed past her and slapped the alarm on his way out the door. He was met almost instantly by a pair of alert SFs who came barrelling around the corner in his direction.

"Doctor Jackson got out of the isolation room. He needs medical attention. Find him!" Jack snapped out his orders and half-ran to the elevator, trusting the SFs to do their jobs.

His first thought was that Daniel had gone to his lab, so that's where he headed, despite the fact that there was no logical reason for Daniel to be there. When he got there and found the lab empty he regretted his knee-jerk reaction and composed himself to think it through more carefully.

He reasoned that if he'd been in Daniel's place, waking up after a long night's sleep, the first thing he'd do is head for the bathroom. With a silent curse, Jack retraced his steps. He was about to bust into the men's room nearest the isolation room they'd shared when one of the SFs called out to him.

"He's not in there, sir," he said. "We've done a sweep of this level—no sign of him."

"Lock down the mountain—he may not be thinking straight and we can't have him wandering away right now," Jack ordered.

"Already done, sir. We've got men searching every level—we'll find him, sir," the SF answered smartly.

As the SF went off to continue his search, Jack took a moment to think. He knew Daniel wouldn't try to leave the base under normal circumstances, but who knew what kind of mental state he was in? The good news was that he hadn't made it out of the mountain before it was locked down, and there were really only two more logical places to look: the commissary and the locker room.

Knowing the lockers were closer, Jack figured he'd check there first before heading down to the commissary. As he pushed open the locker room door a plume of steam billowed out at him. He saw the discarded hospital scrubs about the same time his brain registered the hiss of the shower and a low, steady groaning sound.

"Jesus, Daniel!" Jack exclaimed as he rounded the corner into the shower room. Daniel, naked and balled up on the tile floor, looked like he wanted nothing more than to crawl out of his own skin. Jack crossed the room in three long strides and quickly turned off the water before gathering his friend into his arms.

Daniel let out a heavy sob and turned into Jack's grasp, clutching at his t-shirt as the pain drained away. "Jack? I don't think I can take any more of this," he said miserably, burying his face against Jack's chest.

Jack sat on the sopping wet tiles, rocking his best friend, just like he used to rock Charlie when he was sick or scared…just like he'd rocked Daniel not that long ago when he was coming down off his sarcophagus addiction. Brushing Daniel's wet hair out of his eyes and feeling him relax into his arms, Jack felt a wrenching in his heart. It was like a piece of his heart that had been missing since his son died had suddenly reappeared and was trying to fit back into place. Only, it didn't quite fit the same way anymore, and he couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was just that it had been so long since he'd had to be there for someone in this way, he told himself. And was it wrong that he got a little guilty pleasure from it?

"Shh, Daniel," he hummed in the other man's ear. "Are you feeling any better yet?"

Daniel nodded his head against Jack's chest, not wanting to break contact just yet. He was relieved when Jack didn't pull away—he may not be in pain anymore, but he still felt as if a strong wind would knock him over.

They stayed huddled on the shower floor together for a few minutes, but eventually Jack had to get up or risk suffering days of joint pain. He pulled Daniel to his feet with him, holding him as he got his shaky legs under control.

"Thanks, Jack," Daniel mumbled, unable to look his CO in the eye. It was as if he was only now becoming aware of the fact that he was wet and naked.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Jack said, giving Daniel an overly-macho punch on the arm in an attempt to alleviate his embarrassment. Unfortunately, Daniel wasn't ready for it, and in his weakened state he nearly fell over. Jack grabbed hold of him and held him steady, giving him a 'well, I tried' smile. "Come on; let's get you back to the infirmary."

Daniel nodded, flashing Jack a grateful smile before averting his eyes once more. He felt exposed in so many ways right now, and he was unbelievably thankful that it had been Jack who'd found him. He couldn't think of a single person in his life that made him feel as safe and accepted as Jack did. It only made sense; you didn't face the sort of things they'd faced together on a daily basis and not grow close. Still, Daniel drew the line at full-frontal nudity, and quickly headed for his locker before Jack noticed the burning blush he was sporting.

Jack, too, had to change into dry clothes, and they got dressed in companionable, if somewhat strained, silence. Once dressed, Jack called up the infirmary and let them know he'd found their patient. The alarms ceased at last, making the silence between them even more conspicuous.

As they made their way back to the infirmary, Daniel finally spoke. "Janet's going to kill me, isn't she?" he asked, choosing a nice, safe topic of discussion.

"Damn straight," Jack replied. "That was a stupid thing to do, Daniel." The words 'and you scared me half to death' were never said aloud, but Daniel heard them, nonetheless.

"I know, Jack. I'm sorry," he said, and he truly was.

Jack grunted and gave him a pat on the shoulder by way of forgiveness. "Just don't go wandering away from me again, alright?"

Daniel frowned at the oddly possessive-sounding statement but said nothing. He didn't want to get into another argument over his ability to look after himself…especially since his position wasn't looking very defensible at the moment.

* * *

A harried-looking young nurse, whom Daniel recognised as Janet's newest recruit, Amy, was waiting anxiously for them in the infirmary. She started fussing over Daniel the instant he stepped into the room. Daniel's blood pressure, temperature and heart rate were dutifully noted on his chart and he was given strict orders to lie down and stay put until Dr. Fraiser arrived.

Once they were alone together again, Daniel looked over at Jack, who was occupying himself with an IV bag. He looked restless and bored.

"You don't have to stick around, you know," Daniel said. "You should probably go home—you haven't been off base since you got back from the planet."

Jack frowned at Daniel as if he was deliberately pulling his chain, and then he remembered that Daniel hadn't been awake when Janet had explained the close proximity thing to him. "I'm afraid I go wherever you go," he said.

It was Daniel's turn to frown. "Uh, why?"

"Well, Fraiser would probably give you some long-winded medical explanation, but what it boils down to is: I was right. I _do_ have a magical healing presence. As long as you stick close to me, you'll be fine." There was more than a hint of smugness in Jack's voice, and Daniel wasn't sure if he should believe him or not.

"Seriously?" asked Daniel, his voice shooting up an octave.

"I kid you not," Jack replied with obvious satisfaction.

"Huh," Daniel muttered as he began mulling it over in his head. "I guess that explains why the pain became so much worse when you were off-world."

Jack thrust his arms out in a gesture that cried 'I told ya so', and plopped down at the end of Daniel's bed.

"Great," Daniel grumbled sarcastically and draped an arm over his eyes with an exaggerated moan.

Daniel was well aware that his eyes were his greatest weapon and he shamelessly used them against Dr. Fraiser to persuade her to let him out of the infirmary. With some well thought out arguments and some cleverly-timed eyelash batting, he'd managed to convince the good doctor that he was in no danger as long as he stayed with Jack. She grudgingly agreed, and let them leave the infirmary under strict orders to stay on base and to return to her immediately if there was any change in his condition. It was a small victory, granted, but Daniel wasn't about to complain. At least he wouldn't be staring at the same four walls all day.

* * *

Hammond had requested a debriefing at 09:00, leaving them with just over an hour to grab some breakfast in the commissary. Daniel's appetite was back with a vengeance, and he piled his tray high with bacon, eggs, toast and two fruit cups. Jack eyed him as he sat down across the table from him with his meagre selection of cereal and juice.

"Hungry, are we?" asked Jack.

"Famished," Daniel answered, ignoring the jibe—he felt like a teenager going through a growth spurt, shovelling bacon and toast into his mouth as though Jack might steal it off his plate. Actually, with Jack that was a distinct possibility, he mused with a smile.

He'd made a sizable dent in his meal when Teal'c arrived and joined them at the table.

"I am pleased to see you are feeling well, Daniel Jackson," he said with a bow of the head.

"He's not out of the woods yet," said Jack. "Janet's giving him a long leash, so long as we stick close together and don't leave the mountain."

"Then she has determined the cause of his illness?" asked Teal'c.

"Not exactly, no," said Jack. "But she knows that it gets worse the further away from me he gets."

Teal'c 'hmmed' mysteriously, his expressive brows knitting themselves into the slightest of frowns.

"What?" asked Jack.

"Perhaps it is nothing," Teal'c answered. Jack frowned at the big Jaffa's enigmatic reply but decided to let it go.

Daniel listened silently, his mind wandering. Normally he would have taken offence at being talked about in the third person when he was sitting right there, but at the moment, he had bigger concerns. He pushed the remains of his breakfast around on his plate, his appetite lost. That odd tingling sensation was coming back—it wasn't painful yet, but he knew it would be very soon. And if being in Jack's presence was supposed to be the cure, then why was the pain coming back, he wondered fretfully. It was a moment before he realised that Teal'c and Jack had stopped talking and were watching him.

"Uh…sorry, what?" he asked, flicking his gaze between his two friends, struggling to keep his face from revealing his anxiety and the pain that was ruthlessly reasserting its claim on him.

"You are not well, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c stated.

"I'm fine," Daniel lied, his smile making it no further than his lips before dying.

Jack's narrowed eyes delved past the lie and headed straight for the truth with practiced ease. "It's coming back again, isn't it?"

Daniel briefly contemplated lying again, but quickly dismissed the idea as futile. "It's not bad—just a niggling, annoying, kind of…buzzing… Yeah, it's coming back," he finally admitted.

"That's what I thought," Jack said with an unspoken 'you can't fool me'. "Give me your hand," he said, laying his own hand palm up on the table between them.

Eyebrows bunched uncertainly, Daniel did as Jack requested and placed his hand palm down on top of Jack's. His eyes immediately slid shut with the flood of relief he felt.

"Better, right?" asked Jack unnecessarily as he unconsciously rubbed the back of Daniel's hand with his thumb.

Daniel nodded, a tiny moan escaping from his lips at the electric thrill Jack's touch was giving him.

Jack scanned the commissary, glaring threateningly at a pair of Marines who were staring at them with open disgust. Jack's glare did the trick for the moment, but he released Daniel's hand nonetheless. Jack memorized the faces of the two Marines, intent on having a little chat with them later on minding their own business.

Daniel looked up in time to witness the scarcely veiled threats bandying about between Jack and the Marines sitting at the corner table and he knew things could get pretty ugly if they weren't careful. He pulled his hand away the same time as Jack and kept his eyes on his abandoned breakfast until the Marines got up and left the commissary.

"Do you think we should tell Janet?" asked Daniel, his eyes sliding to the side to note Teal'c's pensive demeanour.

"Tell her what?" asked Jack.

"Um, that it's getting worse?" Daniel answered, looking at Jack like he'd heard smarter questions from his potted plants.

"We don't know that for sure," Jack argued. "Besides, Carter's been going over that junk from 260—maybe she's found something useful." Daniel glowered at him, so Jack tried again. "Look—I promise to take you to the infirmary if you collapse. How's that?"

"Oh well! That makes me feel so much better," Daniel snarked. He might have pushed the matter further, but he'd seen enough of the infirmary over the last couple of days to last a lifetime. For now, he decided to play along with Jack and hope for the best.

* * *

A bedraggled-looking Captain Carter greeted the rest of her team from behind a table piled high with alien artefacts. She'd been up most of the night going through the loot they'd dragged back from PIX 260, trying to discern which items might potentially have been responsible for Daniel's condition. Everything in the collection had passed radiation and bio-hazard testing, and as far as she could tell, there was nothing obviously harmful about any of the items. That meant narrowing it down to items that may have once posed a threat, and after a full night's sorting, Carter was disappointed to find that she hadn't narrowed it down by much.

As Daniel and the colonel took their seats on the opposite side of the table, she noticed that Teal'c seemed to show more interest in her selection of artefacts than the other two, even though he had less at stake in the outcome of her findings. He went from item to item, scrutinizing everything with a keen eye, before sitting next to Carter, his expression maddeningly blank.

"Okay people, let's get started," said General Hammond as he entered the briefing room. He'd received news of Dr. Jackson's collapse in the showers and was determined to find a solution ASAP. His front-line team was effectively out of commission so long as Dr. Jackson's well-being hinged on his proximity to the colonel.

"Sir, if I may?" asked Carter, receiving a brisk nod from the general. "I've been going through the artefacts recovered from PIX 260, and I found several that could have been responsible for Daniel's condition. All of these artefacts exhibited trace energy readings—nothing harmful now, but it's possible that Daniel depleted the energy source when he came into contact with it."

"I see," said Hammond, narrowed eyes sweeping over the wide array of items on the table before him. "I don't suppose you were able to narrow it down any further?"

"No, sir. Whatever threat the artefact may have posed, it appears to be perfectly safe now—there's no way of determining which item may have caused this," said Carter with a tiny cringe. "I was hoping Daniel might recognize one of the artefacts…maybe something that seemed unusual, or that he spent a lot of time studying?"

Without hesitation, Daniel, Jack and Teal'c all pointed to the strange, gold-speckled bust at the far end of the table.

"Okay…I guess we've got ourselves a suspect," said Carter with a huffed chuckle.

"I found Daniel staring at that statue thingy when he first discovered the storage chamber," Jack explained to Carter and Hammond. "At the time, I thought he was just, you know, being Daniel." That got him a pair of raised eyebrows from Daniel, which he blatantly ignored. "I guess he was acting a bit more flaky than usual."

"Uh…yeeaaah," Daniel said, drumming his pen briefly on the tabletop to reign in the acerbic comeback that sprang to mind. "I suppose I did spend an unusual amount of time…_studying_ the statue." Daniel admitted, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as he gauged Hammond's reaction.

"Well, that explains why the two of you picked that statue out of the pile, but what about you, Teal'c?" asked Hammond.

"It is as I feared when I heard that Daniel Jackson must remain in close proximity to O'Neill," said Teal'c grimly.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not gonna like this?" asked Jack.

"I do not know, O'Neill."

"It was a rhetorical question, Teal'c," said Jack. "So…spill—what's the story with the sparkly bust?"

"It was rumoured that Hathor once used the device as an implement of torture, punishing those slaves who displeased her," Teal'c informed them matter-of-factly.

"Damn it!" Jack grumbled. "I knew I wasn't gonna like it!"


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

"Okay… How, exactly, did Hathor use this thing?" asked Jack, well aware of the fact that Daniel flinched every time her name was mentioned. Jack couldn't blame him—she wasn't exactly one of his all-time favourite Goa'ulds either.

Teal'c steepled his fingers on the table in front of him, slipping into what Jack thought of as 'Jaffa lecture mode'. "Apophis once sent a hand-picked group of Jaffa to find the Amadeus when rumour of its existence first reached him. It is said that the Amadeus was capable of casting a spell over its victims, causing them to pine for the love of their god. Hathor, who was the last known Goa'uld to possess the statue, would unleash the power of the Amadeus on a slave or Jaffa who'd displeased her. Then, by denying her victim of her presence, she would drive them to madness or suicide. When Ra imprisoned her, the statue disappeared and has been hunted by numerous Goa'uld ever since."

Captain Carter volleyed her attention between Teal'c and her other two team-mates, soaking up Teal'c story while observing the colonel and Daniel. The colour had drained from Daniel's face, and Jack was acting so stoic it looked as though he was carved out of stone. She'd formed a theory, but she wasn't sure her CO would appreciate her voicing it. Still, it had to be said.

"Sir…when you found Daniel staring at the statue, did you…touch him?" she asked. Carter held her ground against the glare O'Neill shot her way.

"No! Of course not," he snapped, making Daniel sink slightly into his chair like he wanted to disappear. "That is…maybe. A little," he conceded, glancing briefly at the archaeologist with an apologetic half-smile. "Why?" he asked Carter.

"Well, sir, that would explain why you're the one Daniel is reacting to. He must have touched the statue, triggering it somehow, and when you touched him you completed the circuit, as it were. You imprinted on Daniel in the same way Hathor must have done with her victims."

There was that flinch again, Jack noticed out of the corner of his eye. He also noticed Daniel clenching and unclenching his hands. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the pain was returning, and that Daniel was too embarrassed to mention it.

"So does that make me Daniel's god?" asked Jack. "Sweet." Daniel cast him a dirty look, as did Carter and Hammond. He shrugged—he was only trying to lighten the mood.

"If I'm right," said Carter, "then the organisms in Daniel's system are coded to respond to Colonel O'Neill's proximity. Teal'c, was there any mention of a cure or a way to reverse the statue's effects?"

"There is but one cure, Captain Carter," Teal'c replied gravely. "The victims must procure the love of their god or suffer and go mad in its absence."

The fist-clenching had dissolved into uncontrolled trembling, and Jack looked over at Daniel to see a fine sheen of sweat beading at his temples and upper lip.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Daniel," he griped and engulfed the other man's hand with his own. Daniel sagged with relief and then shifted uncomfortably under the intense scrutiny of every set of eyes at the table. Jack, feeling protective of his young friend, jumped back into the discussion to draw everyone's attention away from Daniel. "So…what? All I have to do is declare my undying love for Daniel and he's cured?" Okay, so maybe upon reflection that comment didn't really help matters all that much, Jack thought, seeing the colour creeping above Daniel's collar.

"Um…I don't think it's going to be that simple, sir," said Carter uneasily. Her eyes slipped down to the notes in front of her, unable to maintain eye contact with either the colonel or Daniel.

"Of course not," Jack sighed. A pair of nervous blue eyes darted in Jack's direction, and he unconsciously gave Daniel's had a reassuring squeeze.

* * *

After submitting to yet another battery of tests at the hands of Dr. Fraiser and her team, Daniel and Jack retired to the VIP suite Hammond had assigned to them. Neither had said much since the briefing, but it was clear to Daniel that Jack was less than thrilled at having been pulled off active duty.

Until Sam and Dr. Fraiser could come up with a way to counter the effects of the alien organisms, they were both stuck on base with nothing to do but wait. O'Neill wasn't known for his waiting skills.

Daniel sat watching Jack pace back and forth on the other side of the VIP room's little round table and tried to ignore the prickling pain coursing through his entire body. He was afraid—far more afraid than he let on—of what he and Jack might have to do to cure him. Daniel couldn't help thinking that things might be better for everyone involved if he'd just put up with the pain and leave Jack out of it. But he'd had a taste of just how bad the pain could get, and he wasn't sure he was strong enough to go through that again. He needed to think—needed a little peace and quiet to put his thoughts in order. Back and forth. Back and forth.

"Jack—would you just-just stop? You're wearing a hole in the carpet."

Jack did stop, and he turned to face him, his piercing eyes missing nothing. "Why didn't you tell me the pain was back again?" he demanded.

Daniel shrugged, his lower lip jutting out as he cast his eyes down to the bit of fuzz he'd found on his sleeve. It was very interesting fuzz.

"Daniel, you have to tell me when it comes back—you can't expect me to guess every time," said Jack, coming around the table to stand behind Daniel.

Daniel had intended to shrug Jack's hand off his shoulder, but it made him feel so much better that he found he just couldn't. "I guess I really messed up this time, huh?" he said. "I should never have gone into that chamber alone, I know that." Daniel sagged forward and propped his chin up on his folded arms.

"No, you shouldn't have," Jack answered truthfully. "I keep tellin' ya it's not a good idea to go around fondling objects on strange planets, but you're like a cat, full of curiosity. And one of these days that curiosity of yours is going to do to you what it did to the cat." The reprimand probably would have had more of an impact if he hadn't been gently massaging Daniel's shoulders the whole time, Jack realised.

They stayed that way for a while, Jack's words fading into nothing, until Daniel finally broke the silence. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"What are we going to do?" asked Daniel.

"I was thinking we'd have a nice game of chess followed by a hand or two of gin rummy," Jack replied.

"That's not what I meant."

Jack's hands stilled their rubbing. "I know."

"And?"

"And…we deal with that if and when we have to," he answered. Jack pulled up a chair and sat next to Daniel, their knees just touching, and nudged him to get him to make eye contact. "Fraiser and Carter will come up with something long before we have to worry about…that."

Daniel simply nodded. He was eager to believe Jack, and he let the matter drop in favour of some active denial. "So…chess?"

"Chess," Jack agreed with a smile and headed for the games cupboard to pull out the well-worn chess board. "I'm white."

"You're always white," Daniel pointed out.

"Creature of habit; what can I say?" Jack replied with a shrug.

They fell into the familiar routine of the game, using it to avoid thinking about their situation. It reminded Jack of when he was a boy—on evenings before a big test or a dentist appointment, Jack would pull out the board games and his family would play until it was bedtime. He was a master when it came to distraction, and right now they were in serious need of it.

Daniel was enjoying the game. He'd always loved chess—it was comforting, like curling up on the couch with a really good book. And playing with Jack was always a treat. Jack's mind was sharp and his game strategically sound, and he often managed to surprise Daniel with moves that seemed to come out of the blue. Jack had told him once that he played chess the same way he planned an attack, and the most important part was knowing your opponent.

"Checkmate," said Daniel with a small self-deprecating pout. What Jack continually failed to realise was that Daniel also knew his opponent—knew him very well indeed.

"Right," said Jack, pushing himself up from the table. "No more chess." As Daniel packed up the chess set, Jack went to fish out a deck of cards. But as he reached the cupboard he heard a sharp intake of air coming from behind him. "Daniel?"

"Jack!" Daniel gasped, a panicked look on his face.

Jack got to him just as a scream of pain ripped from the other man's throat. "Jesus, Daniel!" Jack pulled him out of his chair and wrapped his arms around him in one fluid motion. "It's okay, I'm here."

"Jack, I can't—it hurts…" The rest of the words were little more than sobs muffled against Jack's shirt.

Jack held him until the shaking stopped and Daniel had pulled himself together a bit. He then held the other man at arm's length and took a good look at him. "Tell me the truth, now—that little episode was building up the whole time we were playing, wasn't it?"

Daniel had the good grace to look properly chastised. "The prickly feeling's pretty much a constant now, whenever we're not touching. But it was manageable, I swear it was…until you left the table," he amended with a shy duck of his head.

"Damn!" Jack dropped his arms and started pacing the room again. "Okay—I guess we'll have to stay close—really close—from now on. And if you feel it coming on, don't even ask; just grab my arm or something."

Daniel nodded and reached out to grab Jack's arm, halting him mid-pace.

Jack looked at him. "What—already?" he asked in disbelief.

Daniel nodded again, sheepishly. "Jack, if Sam and Janet don't come up with something soon…"

"I know," said Jack.

"We can't keep this up! Not here—not on base, with Marines and SFs around every corner. I saw the looks we were getting in the commissary."

"I admit, things could get a little dicey, but we don't have much of a choice, do we? It's not like Janet's going to let us leave the mountain."

"That's not what I was suggesting," said Daniel, dragging Jack with him so they could both sit down at the table. "Jack, there's no reason why you should have to suffer because of my mistake. If I leave, maybe go back to Abydos…"

"Then the pain would drive you nuts and you'd end up killing yourself," Jack snapped angrily. After over a year together on SGC's flag-team, and still Daniel didn't get that he meant something to other people—that he was one of them—and it infuriated Jack no end.

"It would only be until they figure out how to fix this," Daniel argued. "If I stay here—if rumours spread—it could ruin your career."

"Geez, Daniel—you worry too much," said Jack. "This is the SGC—we eat, sleep and breathe weirdness every day. So what if you have to grab my arm every once in a while? You make it sound like we'd be humping each other in front of a roomful of jarheads." Jack knew Daniel was right, of course—the rumours alone could be enough to stunt his career—but the alternative was unthinkable. There was no way he would let Daniel go through that kind of pain again if there was any way he could prevent it. If that meant never making general, so be it. It wasn't as if he wanted a promotion anyways—too much paperwork. "Now stop thinking so much and shuffle."

* * *

Three hours later they had played a round of every card game they could think of, including 'Go Fish'. Daniel was almost relieved when they got the call from Janet asking them to come down to the infirmary.

As he and Jack sat down side by side on one of the cots, Janet and Sam emerged from the doctor's office. They weren't smiling. In fact, Janet had the same look she pulled out for terminal cases—strong, compassionate and brutally honest. Daniel swallowed and shifted closer to Jack on the bed, readying himself to hear the bad news.

"I'm sorry," said Janet, deciding to come right out with it. "There were only a few tests I hadn't already run, and now that I've run them…I'm sorry—there's nothing I can do."

Janet's steady gaze did nothing to offset Sam's complete inability to look at them. The girls knew exactly what was implied by Janet's prognosis.

"So Teal'c was right?" asked Jack.

"I'm afraid so," answered Janet. "Or at least I hope he's right, because if that doesn't work we're out of ideas."

"Maybe if I did some research I could find out more about the statue," Daniel suggested. "For all we know it might be reversible, or-or maybe it'll wear off in time." He was grasping at straws, he knew, but he was desperate to find another solution.

"I don't see any harm in letting you work in your lab—so long as the colonel goes with you, of course," said Janet. She was doing her best to sound optimistic, but it didn't quite ring true.

"Jack?" Daniel asked, turning hopeful blue eyes towards his C.O.—a little batting of the lashes seemed to work on him, too, Daniel noticed.

"Fine," said Jack, and he turned to address Janet. "I don't suppose there's any chance you'd let him bring his work back to my place? There's a new 'Simpson's' on tonight." Apparently Jack lacked the eyelash-batting skills of his team mate—Janet merely crossed her arms and frowned at him. Discussion over.

Jack was still sulking by the time they got to Daniel's laboratory. As Daniel settled at his desk, digging out a new writing pad and a couple of ancient tomes so heavy they would have given Schwarzenegger a hernia to lift, Jack did his usual thing. In other words, he sighed a lot and played with Daniel's stuff. The guy had a lot of stuff. He picked up a tablet that looked like it had been carved out of solid ebony and hefted it in his hands. Good weight, he decided.

"Jack," Daniel said.

Jack quickly put the tablet back where he'd found it. "I didn't touch anything. Honest," he said defensively.

"Jack!" Daniel said again, only this time the strain in his voice told Jack that he wasn't mad at him—he was in pain.

"Why didn't you say?" said Jack, ignoring the deadly glower Daniel shot his way. Jack came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Daniel huffed out a few sharp breaths as Jack's touch took the edge off the pain. But it wasn't enough. The prickling continued, despite the hand on his shoulder. Daniel's heart started pounding—it wasn't enough! In a moment of desperation, Daniel grabbed Jack's hand and brought it up to cup his cheek. The prickling pain stopped, making Daniel bite back an involuntary sob. It was getting worse, and he was terrified of where it was heading.

"Daniel?" asked Jack, concerned.

"Just…pass me that black book behind you?" asked Daniel, keeping a tight reign on his emotions. "Please?"

Jack knew better than to make a big deal of it. His friend's obvious discomfort was not overly surprising: Jack had long been aware of Daniel's resistance towards human contact. He always stood off to the side, most often with his arms wrapped tightly around himself as if signalling to others to stay away. Jack was the only one who was allowed to get close, and Jack took full advantage of it. He made a point of hugging Daniel, and ruffling his hair or patting his back, and he thought he was finally breaking through the younger man's shell. But clearly this was way too much contact for Daniel to cope with.

Unfortunately, they didn't have the luxury of playing coy. They both new what had to be done, and Jack was of the opinion that the sooner they got it over with, the better. He was a firm believer in ripping off the band-aid. He'd let Daniel futz around with his books for a while, but if he didn't find anything useful by bedtime, Jack would bring up the whole ripping-the-band-aid-off idea.

* * *

A full eight hours later they were both tired and irritable. Daniel kept complaining that Jack was in the way, so Jack would move out of the way only to have Daniel call him back a few minutes later to douse the pain. For his part, Jack was trying to be useful—he really was—but he felt more like the cat Sara used to have that would walk all over his newspaper while he was trying to read it. He felt like a nuisance, nothing more.

He didn't have to ask to know that Daniel hadn't had any luck with his research—every mumbled curse and every book slammed shut told him all he needed to know. By dinnertime Jack's stomach was hollow and he could tell by Daniel's constant shifting that he wasn't the only one who was feeling the call of nature.

"You done yet?" Jack asked as Daniel slapped another book shut and massaged the bridge of his nose between thumb and index finger.

Daniel looked up in frustration, but seeing the compassion evident in his friend's eyes, he soon overcame his temper. "I guess I'm as done as I'll ever be," he sighed. "There's nothing here—not a single mention of the statue or the name Amadeus that even remotely relates to the device we found on the planet."

"So…you're done, right?" asked Jack, just to clarify.

Daniel's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Yeah, Jack, I'm done."

"Great. Let's eat!" said Jack.

Daniel looked up at him in amazement. "How can you be so flippant about all this?"

"Hey—we still gotta eat, right?"

Jack had a point, he supposed, and he really did appreciate Jack's attempts to keep him calm. With a shrug, Daniel took the hand Jack offered him and went with him down to the commissary for dinner—although his stomach was so tied up in knots that he knew he'd never be able to eat.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter warning! This chapter mentions non-consensual sex and child abuse.

* * *

Getting around base was proving to be an interesting challenge. Jack had no qualms about holding hands with Daniel, but he wasn't naïve enough to believe they could get away with it here on base—even if they did have a legitimate excuse, sanctioned by General Hammond, no less. So instead, they walked shoulder to shoulder as if the hallways were closing in on them. They got a few odd looks, but they probably just chalked it up to SG-1 being their usual oddball selves. Being the SGC's flagship team had its perks.

Using the washroom also proved to be an awkward experience. Again, not so much for Jack, who was used to living in close quarters with large groups of men. But for Daniel, who had always been shy about such things, the complete lack of privacy was already starting to get to him. Necessity forced them to stand side by side at the urinals, and Jack noticed with some amusement that Daniel kept taking surreptitious glances at him—literally sizing him up. He couldn't help feeling a touch of pride that he was large enough to make Daniel blanch. Not that he would ever boast—oh, no, boasting was the last resort of the ill-equipped, as his father was fond of saying. Besides, it was clear that Daniel was freaked out enough already.

Oddly enough, Jack found that he wasn't as freaked as he should have been at the idea of doing the nasty with Daniel. God knew he'd done far worse things for far less noble reasons in his lifetime. This was nothing. He figured that with just the right amount of alcohol and a strong mental image of Mary Steenburgen, he could get the job done.

Dinner passed mostly in silence with Jack occasionally attempting to draw Daniel into conversation with little success. They sat across from each other because Daniel claimed it would look odd for them to be sitting next to each other when they were the only ones at the table. Jack said he was being paranoid, but secretly he agreed. The less fuel they fed to the rumour-fire the better. So over dinner they'd had to make do with playing 'footsie' under the table whenever Daniel needed the contact—which was almost constant now.

By the end of the meal, Daniel had done more plate redecorating than actual eating, and Jack decided that he'd best rip that old band-aid off soon, or his archaeologist would waste away to nothing.

"After you," said Jack, politely holding the door to their VIP suite open. Daniel slipped past him without even raising his eyes from the floor.

Jack sighed and shook his head as he followed the younger man into their shared quarters. A cot had been set up next to the standard-issue full-size bed native to military VIP suites and cheap-ass motel rooms everywhere. Of course, the bed was there for appearances only, and Jack silently thanked Fraiser for thinking to have it installed.

What worried him was the relieved look on Daniel's face when he saw that there was a second bed. Surely he had to know that it was for show, Jack wondered. There was no way Daniel would survive the night that far away from him. Jack decided that now was the perfect time to get it over with—to put poor Daniel out of his misery.

"So…" said Jack, rocking up and down on the balls of his feet, his hands rubbing together enthusiastically.

"So?" Daniel asked miserably.

His years as a father had taught Jack that the true art of ripping a band-aid off was in creating a good distraction. "I'm bored with chess," he said.

"Yeah," Daniel replied.

"And card games," Jack added.

"Mm," Daniel agreed morosely. "We could always drag out the Monopoly board—Ow!" The 'Ow' was in response to being pounded across the back of his head with a pillow. "Jack!"

Daniel turned around only to receive a faceful of military-issue foam pillow. He grabbed onto it, yanking it out of Jack's hands, but Jack was ready with a second pillow and used it without mercy.

"Jack, stop," Daniel said, chuckling despite himself. This was the side of Jack he secretly loved—this was the sort of thing he'd missed growing up without an older brother. "Jack!" This time Daniel retaliated, getting in a good full-face swat before Jack could raise his defences.

It was totally silly, but Daniel had to admit that it was fun, and for a while he allowed himself to forget everything and let out some steam with a good pummelling of Jack's head and shoulders. He was laughing—actually laughing—when Jack knocked him backwards onto the bed. He'd dropped his pillow and was busily defending his face from an onslaught of pillow strikes when he felt Jack's hand working the fly of his pants.

"Jack!" he wheezed, still breathless from their play-fighting.

Jack's hands abandoned the pillow altogether and were now both engaged in the task of divesting Daniel of his pants. "Jack!" Daniel gasped, squirming under his friend's weight.

"Shh! It's okay, Danny—just go with it," said Jack, still focused on his goal. "It'll be over before you know it."

Daniel's jaw dropped, his eyes widening as Jack's intentions sank in. "Jack, stop! _Stop!_" Daniel begged, his voice thready and faltering as he kicked and shoved and bucked his way out of Jack's grasp. "I said STOP!" he yelled frantically, pressing up against the headboard with his knees drawn up to his chin. His heart was thundering so fast in his chest that he honestly feared it might give out.

Jack backed away like he'd been scalded. Sure, he'd expected a little reluctance on Danny's part, but the sheer terror in Daniel's eyes—not to mention the near-hyperventilation—scared him a little.

"Danny? It's okay," said Jack soothingly. "Calm down." He waited until it looked as though his friend had pulled himself back from the brink of an all-out panic attack before daring to get any closer. "Is this about the whole…guy on guy thing?" he asked uncomfortably. "Don't get me wrong—I'm doing my own fair share of freaking on that one—but you gotta know I would never hurt you, right?"

Daniel shook his head, lifting watery, red-rimmed eyes to meet Jack's. "It's not that," he mumbled.

"No? Then what—is this about Shau'ri?" Jack asked. "I think under the circumstances, she'll understand."

Daniel shook his head again. "No, it's not that, either," he managed to say.

"Okaaay…care to tell me what…"

"No lies," Daniel blurted.

"Huh? What?"

Daniel swallowed hard, composing himself as best he could before fixing Jack with a steady gaze. "You remember that night on PIX 260? Remember the game we played with SG-2—'No Secrets, No Lies'?" Jack nodded blankly, having no clue where this was headed. "Ten, Jack."

"Ten what?"

"The answer to Griff's question," Daniel explained. "I was ten years old the first time I…uh…"

"Had sex?" Jack supplied, doing his best to mask his surprise.

Daniel nodded, his hands gripping his knees so hard that his knuckles looked like they were on the verge of popping out of his skin. "My step-mother came home from work early one day and walked in on me when I was…you know…experimenting. She said that if I was old enough to do that, then I was old enough to start earning my keep, and she, uh…"

"Jesus, Daniel!" said Jack with a kind of hybrid sympathetic shock.

"Yeah," Daniel replied shakily. "Two years later a social worker finally clued in and had me sent to another foster home, but…"

"God, Danny—I had no idea."

"Yeah, well, no one does…did," Daniel amended with a sick smile. "Jack…I've never…," Daniel had to stop to swallow down the heavy lump in his throat. "I've never…been with anyone. Not voluntarily."

"But…Shau'ri?" asked Jack softly, afraid he might accidentally say the wrong thing.

Daniel smiled a genuine, if somewhat sad, smile. "We were married before I knew what happened, remember? I couldn't leave her—not without dishonouring her—so I stayed. And I loved her, I really did, but we never actually consummated the marriage."

"So you've really never…?" Jack asked, his eyebrows rising in disbelief.

"I had a girlfriend once in college," Daniel said. "She left me when she realised that I wasn't just behaving like a gentleman." Daniel could tell by Jack's taut silence that he was uncomfortable with this, but Daniel had to get it all out. Jack had to know just how hard this whole situation was for him. "To be honest, I can't even think of women that way. But I always had my books, and then I had the Stargate and you guys, and it didn't matter so much. And things were actually starting to get better, there, until Hathor showed up."

Jack winced. "You remember that?" he asked. Jack had remembered every sordid moment of his encounter with Hathor, but since none of the other guys had admitted to remembering anything he'd just assumed he was the only one who did.

"Oh yeah, I remember," said Daniel. "I wish I didn't," he added with an involuntary shudder. He raised his solemn blur eyes and looked directly at Jack. "You're my friend—the best friend I've ever had, Jack. No one has ever…no one has meant as much to me since my parents died. And I just can't…God! I can't do this! I can't go through that again—not with you!"

The panic had crept back into Daniel's eyes, and now Jack truly understood—Daniel considered this to be yet another rape. Jack reflected on how his 'let's get it over with' approach must have looked from Daniel's perspective and he cringed inside.

"Daniel, listen to me," he said. "It isn't like that. It won't be like that, I promise."

A stray tear spilled down Daniel's cheek and he hastily wiped it away. "I'm scared, Jack," he half-whispered, unable to stop his voice from shaking.

"I know," Jack answered. He closed the gap between them and pulled Daniel into his arms, hoping it was the right move. Daniel fought him at first, but as Jack was just about to pull back, he suddenly latched onto him, clutching him as tightly as he could. Jack hugged him back almost as tightly, burying his face in the other man's longer hair.

It took a while, but eventually Daniel calmed down enough to release Jack from is death grip. He straightened Jack's shirt where he'd bunched it up in his fists and chanced a brief glance at his friend. "Sorry," he said.

"Don't be," Jack replied, straightening Daniel out in return. "Is that why you offered to leave and go to Abydos?"

Daniel glanced away, even as he nodded.

"So you'd rather go mad with pain and kill yourself than sleep with me?" Jack teased.

Daniel's horrified eyes snapped up and locked onto Jack's. "God, no! Jack, that's not what I meant at all! I didn't want you to have to…you shouldn't have to have that on your conscience. It wouldn't be fair to you."

Jack sighed—Daniel just didn't get it. "So it would be more fair for me to have your suffering and death on my conscience? Ah-ah!" he said, forestalling the argument he saw percolating behind Daniel's eyes. "Like it or not, I'd feel responsible—you know that."

Daniel stewed a moment in frustration before grudgingly agreeing. "I guess."

"Good. So we agree then? No more talk of fleeing to distant parts of the galaxy?" Daniel nodded glumly. "And we both agree that we have no other choice but to do this?" Jack asked.

Daniel didn't answer, preferring to look at his own hands instead of at Jack. But Jack wasn't going to let him off the hook that easy, and he snuck a finger under his friend's chin, tipping his head up so they were eye to eye.

"If we're going to do this, we're gonna do it right, Danny," Jack said quietly. "We'll go slow, ease into it, and I promise we won't do anything until you're ready."

Daniel nodded hesitantly; he felt he had to protest, even though Jack was doing everything he could to make this easier on him. "What about SG-1?"

"Carter and Teal'c can join another team for now, or Hammond can assign temporary replacements for us," Jack answered smoothly.

"Then what about you, Jack?" Daniel asked, desperate to find some flaw in Jack's argument. "I can't ask you to give up 'gate travel while you're waiting for me to…to… What if I can't? What if it takes me too long? You could lose your job."

"First of all, both our jobs are safe—Hammond will see to that. And second of all, I absolutely refuse to make this any harder on you than it already is. If it takes a year until you're okay with it, then it takes a year—I'm in it for the long haul."

Daniel blinked rapidly to dispel the sudden misting-over of his eyes. He could feel himself starting to relax, his hands slowly losing their grip on his knees, his muscles releasing their tension. He realised that he trusted Jack implicitly—he trusted him with his life, why should this be any different. Now if it had been Teal'c—or worse, Sam—he'd probably have fallen apart by now.

"You okay?" asked Jack.

"I'm getting there," Daniel answered truthfully.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm drained. Bedtime?"

"Mm," Daniel agreed.

"First dibs on the bathroom," said Jack as he slipped off the bed.

"Jack!"

"What?"

"Wait up," said Daniel, and with an embarrassed blush he got off the bed and took hold of Jack's hand.

"This could be fun," Jack said.

Daniel groaned, but felt more at ease—somehow, if Jack could still make jokes he knew everything would be okay. Jack's quirky sense of humour had seen him through many seemingly impossible situations. It's what would keep him sane through this one.

* * *

To Jack's amazement, Daniel didn't make a fuss about sharing a bed. It was a testament to the amount of faith the younger man had in him, and he knew it was a lot to live up to.

Halfway through the night Jack awoke to the sound of muffled whimpering and rolled over to see Daniel twitching and fussing in his sleep. Jack reached over, but instead of settling his hand on Daniel's arm as he'd intended, he tentatively brushed his fingers over the sleeping man's cheek and jaw line. He could feel the prickly new growth of stubble under his fingertips and he allowed himself to wonder what it might feel like beneath his lips. To his surprise, he didn't find the idea in the least bit distasteful. No—'curious' was a better word to describe his reaction.

As Daniel relaxed under the ministrations of his stroking fingers, Jack found himself questioning his own sexuality for the first time since high school. He felt he should be more disturbed by his current situation with Daniel than he was. It shouldn't be so easy to accept that he was essentially about to embark on a homosexual relationship with his best friend—even if it was only a temporary arrangement. He should feel repulsed, or at the very least, uneasy.

But this was Daniel.

Daniel was Daniel—he wasn't the same as other guys. Daniel was…beautiful. Inside and out, there was no better word to describe him. Maybe, Jack rationalised, that was why it wasn't so hard to imagine what it would be like to run his fingers through his hair or kiss those lips.

Now, if it had been Teal'c—or worse, Ferretti…Jack shuddered at the thought. Nope—Jack could honestly say that he wasn't interested in men in general. Daniel was special, that was all there was to it, and Jack would do everything in his power to make this as bearable as possible for his special young friend.

In his sleep, Daniel rolled onto his back, his arm flopping bonelessly against Jack's ribs. Jack smiled and wrapped his own arm around Daniel's. Deep in the pit of his stomach he felt the first stirrings of desire, and he let it wash over him. Yeah. He could do this—and he wouldn't need a mental image of Mary Steenburgen, either.


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

Daniel floated in that pleasant slipstream between sleeping and waking. He felt good—relaxed and warm—wrapped up in a feeling of contentment so strong it brought a smile to his sleeping features. He fought the pull of consciousness, not wanting to lose the wonderful sensation. But already the more mundane aspects of reality were impinging on his cosy sanctuary. He was aware now that his bladder was full and his right arm was numb.

Why was his right arm numb?

Finally, his curiosity over that question tipped the scale in favour of waking up. Daniel cracked his right eye open and chanced a look in the direction of his numb arm.

Ah. Well, that explained the numbness, Daniel thought upon seeing Jack's slack-mouthed face inches away from his own. Apparently his arm made a damn fine pillow. He slowly began extricating himself from under O'Neill's head so he could slip off to the bathroom without waking him. Then, with a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach, he remembered that he couldn't do that. He couldn't do anything or go anywhere without Jack.

"Jack," Daniel half-whispered. When that didn't have the desired effect, he decided 'to hell with it' and gave the colonel's shoulder a good shove. A rude awakening, perhaps, but Daniel's bladder was screaming at him.

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" mumbled Jack, half-startled out of sleep. He rubbed a hand hard across his face and cracked an eye open to focus on Daniel. "What's the emergency?" he asked.

"I've gotta pee," Daniel replied with a slightly embarrassed smile.

Jack grumbled and rolled over, freeing Daniel's trapped arm. His eyes had already closed and he was blissfully drifting off to sleep again when he received another rough shove. "Hey!" he complained loudly.

"I've gotta pee," Daniel reiterated.

"So? Whaddaya want, applause?" Jack groused, gruffly giving the other man permission to go. Daniel simply raised an eyebrow at him and waited for the moment of clarity to sink in. Jack, confused at first, forced the recalcitrant wheels of his brain to turn and the answer slowly surfaced. "Ah, right," he said with a sigh, and followed Daniel out of bed.

He tried his best to give Daniel his privacy, staying a step or two away and keeping his back turned as the younger man took care of business, but that was a no-go. Jack heard Daniel's ragged breathing and the restrained moan and realised that even two steps apart was too far now. Without a word, Jack reached behind him and felt around until his hand was on Daniel's shoulder. He made no comment when the other man's hand closed over his and guided it down to his bare upper arm. Okay, thought Jack, so it had to be skin on skin from now on. No problem there...at least, not for him—the rest of the SGC might have a problem with it, though.

Oh yeah…it was shaping up to be an interesting day.

* * *

When it became clear that being separated, even for a short amount of time, was no longer an option, and even touching through layers of clothing was iffy at best, Jack decided to make a call to Hammond.

Hammond wasn't exactly thrilled that his 2IC hadn't 'gotten the situation under control', as it were, but the general could understand their reluctance to conduct their business in the mountain. It was his decision that they should meet up with Dr. Fraiser and join forces in convincing her to let them leave the base. However, when Hammond told O'Neill to report to the infirmary, Jack refused outright.

"Oh? And why is that, Colonel?" Hammond asked, pointedly pulling rank.

"Well, unless you're okay with me and Daniel holding hands as we skip down the corridors, I think it's best if we stay put," Jack responded casually.

"I see," said Hammond, and Jack could almost hear his commanding officer's headache forming. "Dr. Jackson's condition has gotten worse, has it?"

"Much worse, Sir."

There was a heavy sigh from the other end of the line. "Very well. I'll have Dr. Fraiser meet us in the VIP suite."

The line went dead in Jack's hand and he replaced the receiver with a frown. The general clearly wanted this mess over with ASAP, and Jack hadn't been able to offer a good excuse as to why they were delaying the inevitable. He couldn't very well tell the general the real reason they were stalling; not without revealing what Daniel had told him in confidence.

"Is Hammond mad at us?" asked Daniel, who was standing elbow to elbow with him.

"He's not thrilled, but it's not like he can order us to have sex," said Jack, catching the flicker of fear as it crossed Daniel's face. Jack pretended not to notice—Daniel needed to get used to the idea, whether he liked it or not, and that wouldn't happen if he made a big fuss about it. "Technically, he can't even ask us about any of this. He's on his way here with Fraiser to see if he can get her to budge on sending us home…out of sight, out of mind—that sort of thing."

There was a knock at the door, and Daniel's eyebrows rose. "That was fast."

They walked arm in arm to the door, falling into an easy lock-step, as if they'd been practicing for years. Daniel did the honours, opening the door to reveal the other half of their team.

Carter beamed at them, her smile wide and noticeably forced, but at least she was trying. Teal'c stood next to her, hands clasped loosely behind his back, looking not in the least bit uncomfortable. He cocked his head as he looked at them, an eyebrow twitching upwards questioningly.

"Did the coupling not work?" he asked bluntly.

Jack could feel the heat of Daniel's blush radiating off his skin in waves. "Teal'c!" Jack barked.

Carter stepped in to salvage the quickly crumbling conversation. "Teal'c, you can't just come out and ask something like that."

The Jaffa's brow rumpled in a deep frown as he considered Carter's reprimand. "I meant no disrespect, O'Neill, Daniel Jackson," he said with a polite bow. "I only wished to inquire after Daniel Jackson's condition."

"Well, obviously he's in the same condition, isn't he?" Jack snapped.

"It's okay, Jack," said Daniel, ever the peacekeeper. "C'mon in guys." He stepped aside, letting Sam and Teal'c squeeze past them into the room.

There was a very uncomfortable moment where they were all standing around trying not to talk about Jack and Daniel's problem. Really, what else was there to talk about? It was pretty obvious that everyone was wondering why Jack and Daniel hadn't 'coupled' as Teal'c put it.

"So…" Carter tried, gamely, to start the conversation going again. "Do you think you're gonna be here for a while? I mean, is there anything you want me to bring you from home?" Nice save, Carter sarcastically thought to herself.

Daniel smiled at her appreciatively. "Thanks, Sam, but with any luck Janet will let us go home today."

"Hammond's putting in a good word for us," Jack elaborated, still feeling a little awkward. He compensated by giving Daniel's hand a good squeeze.

"That's, uh…that's good, Sir," replied Carter, and once again the conversation ground to a halt. They were saved by the timely arrival of General Hammond and Dr. Fraiser. Although perhaps 'saved' wasn't the word for it, thought Carter—more like 'thrown headlong into the deep end of awkwardness'. It was the first time she'd ever seen the general blush. It was quite impressive, actually—the pink rose well past his non-existent hair line to colour the very top of his head…like a volcano about to erupt.

"Would you close the door, please, Doctor?" Hammond asked Fraiser. Only when the door was securely locked behind them did he look more at ease. "Gentlemen," he started, addressing Daniel and the colonel. "I assume you have a good reason for delaying…treatment?"

Now it was Daniel's turn to blush hotly. What did he expect him to say? 'No, Sir, no reason at all—I have no problem with being forced into having sex with my best friend, thank-you very much.' That would go over well.

Thankfully it was Jack who answered for both of them. "Yes, Sir, we do."

"Alright, then," said Hammond, turning to his CMO. "Dr. Fraiser, given the circumstances, I feel it would be best for everyone if the colonel and Dr. Jackson were to take a short leave of absence and spend some time in the privacy of their homes."

"And you want me to release Dr. Jackson from my care?" Janet asked, her brown eyes sparking dangerously.

"Yes, Doctor; that would be why I asked you to join me here," Hammond answered stiffly.

"Sir, no offense, but that's a bad idea."

"Oh? And why is that?" There was a distinct warning in the general's glare, but Janet was not one to be easily intimidated.

"Assuming they'll be able to drive anywhere in their…condition, where would they go? They both have neighbours who might wonder at their new level of intimacy. And for that matter, what would they do if they need to buy groceries or if Jack's family decided to pay him a visit? What if Jack got sick or one of them had to be taken to the hospital for some reason? The colonel cannot afford to be seen in public like this."

"Alright, Doctor, I see your point," said Hammond, his brow deeply etched in his frustration. "I'm sorry, Colonel, but Dr. Fraiser is right—you'd be more at risk out in the community than you would be here. I'm afraid you'll have to be restricted to the VIP suite for the time being, and outside contact will need to be limited to the four of us."

"So—so what? We're prisoners now?" Daniel suddenly spoke up, sounding slightly choked.

"No, son, not prisoners," Hammond assured him, his eyes softening the way they often did when speaking to his chief civilian consultant. "Consider this as more of a quarantine situation. That will be the official story, at least."

Jack snorted. "I don't suppose we can get cable down here? …Just a thought," he added when all he got in reply was a menacing stare from his CO.

"If you need anything—anything _reasonable_—don't hesitate to ask," the general said and offered them his best attempt at a casual smile that he could muster before taking his leave.

"The same goes for me," Janet said. "I'll check in on you from time to time, but you just let me know if there's anything I can do to make you more comfortable." When she got compliant nods from both Jack and Daniel, she, too, took her leave.

Sam was shifting her weight from foot to foot as if she wanted nothing more than to follow Janet and the general out the door. "Well…" she started.

"Don't go," Daniel pleaded, his blue eyes trapping hers, transmitting a torrent of mixed emotions. "Both of you—please—stay for a little while, at least."

Sam felt like a complete jerk—she'd been so caught up in her own discomfort that she'd been blinded to how much this was hurting them. "Alright," she agreed with an apologetic smile. "But I refuse to play Monopoly—the colonel plays dirty." An odd look passed between Daniel and her CO, but she missed it as she passed them on the way to the games cupboard.

The members of SG-1 spent a companionable day playing poker and talking, with everyone pretending there was nothing at all unusual about the fact that Jack and Daniel spent the entire time with their arms linked at the elbow. Daniel continuously accused Jack of peeking at his cards, and Jack retaliated with the fact that he didn't have much choice in the matter.

The strain that they'd felt earlier was gone, replaced with the familiar camaraderie that had become second nature with them over their last year together. Jack was proud of his team—something like this could easily have torn another team apart, but SG-1 was a tightly knit group, having bonded in a way he'd never experienced in his long, military career. They were truly a unit.

"Take that, you bastards!" Jack exclaimed as he slapped a full house down on the table. The other three groaned as Jack raked in his whopping 50 cent winnings. He loved these guys…but that didn't mean he couldn't bleed them dry in a friendly game of deuces wild.

"I believed you to be cliffing," said Teal'c, with what could only be described as a bewildered disappointment.

"It's 'bluffing', Teal'c," said Jack. "And that's the whole point of the game—never let anyone know what you've got in your hand. Unless you're Daniel, of course."

Daniel frowned at him, but only part of the frown was in response to Jack's remark, and Jack intuitively knew there was something wrong.

"Danny?" he asked. Daniel's frown morphed into a pinched expression of pain, and the best he could come manage was a strangled groan. "Okay, everybody, I think we should call it a night. Whaddaya say?"

Carter and Teal'c took their cue and got to their feet, but Carter turned just as she reached the door. "Sir, if there's anything I can do…" she said.

"We'll let you know, don't worry," said Jack. "See you tomorrow."

When the door locked into place behind their departing team mates, Jack's attentions shifted to the man moaning ominously beside him. He half-carried Daniel over to the bed and stretched him out on it.

"Take it easy, Danny. I've gotcha," he said, and then he pulled off his shirt and lay down next to Daniel. The other man instantly tensed up. "I won't do anything unless you ask," Jack assured him in a calming voice. "I'm just gonna lie here, and you can do all the touching, okay?"

Daniel nervously nodded, but didn't move; his tongue darted out to wet his dry lips as he stared anxiously at his friend. It was as if he was testing Jack to see if he was telling the truth: they lay side by side, only barely touching, as Daniel's pain escalated. Jack made no move to touch him, even though it was clearly killing him to do nothing. He just laid there, his worried brown eyes providing the only comfort his friend would allow.

The pain finally became too much to bear, and Daniel surrendered to his body's needs. Rolling to face Jack, he let his arm drape across the other man's bare chest. It hardly made a dent in the pain, however, so he switched tactics and tried rubbing Jack's arm with both hands. It was getting better, but it still wasn't enough, and before he had a chance to change his mind, Daniel sat up and pulled his shirt over his head.

Only when he'd settled against Jack's side did Jack dare to move. He slowly eased one arm around Daniel. When he received no objections, Jack risked gently stroking the other man's back with the tips of his fingers. "You okay with this?" he murmured.

"Oh yeah," Daniel sighed softly and lifted his head off Jack's chest to look up at him. "This is…good. This is good."

"Good."

"Good," Daniel said with conviction.

"Good," Jack said again with a grin, and acting on impulse, he leaned in and dropped a quick kiss on Daniel's forehead. 'Oops' was Jack's belated thought as he froze in place.

A nearly voiceless "oh" was Daniel's only response.

"'Oh' bad, or 'oh' good?" Jack asked warily, remaining as still as a statue.

"Good," Daniel said, forehead creased as if he really had to think about it.

"Good?" Jack asked again, just to be sure.

"Good," Daniel confirmed with a shy smile. "You, uh—you can do that again…if you want to," he added uncertainly.

It was as near as Daniel would probably ever get to asking, and Jack wasn't about to let it pass. Feeling oddly nervous with so much riding on this one kiss, Jack leaned in again. This time he let his lips linger on Daniel's forehead, keeping the pressure light—more a caress than a kiss, really. Rather than stiffening up at the touch, Daniel seemed to relax into it—accepting it. Maybe even enjoying it a little.

As Jack slowly pulled away, he sighed and breathed deeply to stamp the scent of Daniel's hair into his memory. It was a strange thing to do, he realised with a start—it was something he used to do with Sara when they were first dating and he couldn't get enough of her. It was enough to make Jack stop and rethink things—true, he'd never been one for casual encounters, but he couldn't allow himself to get emotionally attached to Daniel. That was just a disaster waiting to happen.

As they settled once more into comfortable positions, with Daniel spooned up tightly against Jack's side, Jack stared up at the ceiling and tried not to enjoy the way the younger man's body seemed to fit perfectly with his.

He was doomed. No doubt about it.


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

It was bound to happen. It _had_ to happen eventually.

Daniel stared at the shower stall as if it might sting him if he got too close. He was in desperate need of a shower—and God knew Jack was, too—but Daniel wasn't quite ready for so much…closeness.

As it was, they'd gone shirtless the whole day, and Daniel was okay with that. He was even getting used to constantly having Jack pressed against him. Even when Sam had stopped by to drop off some toiletries and a change of clothes for them, Daniel was able to overcome his embarrassment enough to hold a civil conversation with her—not an easy task with and Air Force colonel carpeting his back.

"Well?"

Daniel was startled back into the here and now by Jack's unexpected query. He turned his head to look back at Jack, wondering how much of the conversation he had zoned out.

"Well?" Jack repeated. "The water's not gonna come to us…"

"Oh," Daniel replied. Right—the shower. He started to step into the shower stall.

"Uh…Daniel?" Jack said, holding onto him from behind. Daniel blinked back at him, looking slightly lost. "It's generally a good idea to take your clothes off before getting into the shower."

Daniel obediently stepped back out of the shower stall, carefully keeping his back to Jack as he fumbled awkwardly with the zipper on his pants. It was no good—his fingers felt like they were thick as sausages and made of lead.

A pair of strong, confident hands closed over his own. They made no further move, however, and Daniel knew that Jack was waiting to see if he wanted him to stop or not. Daniel slipped his hands out from under Jack's and let them hang loosely at his sides.

Jack took that as a sign that it was okay to continue, and he deftly freed Daniel from his troublesome pants. "You know, we could always leave our boxers on, if it would make you feel better?" Jack suggested.

Daniel looked back at him with such unadulterated gratitude it made Jack's heart melt. What the hell, Jack thought; if his best friend needed to take things slowly, they would…even though Jack was finding it harder and harder to restrain himself. What really scared Jack was that a big part of him was starting to hope Daniel would stretch this out as long as possible, so he'd be able to indulge himself a little longer. It was wrong—he knew that—but he was really enjoying the closeness.

Daniel stepped back into the shower stall and turned on the water. It took all of thirty seconds for Jack to strip down to his boxers and follow him in, but even that short separation had caused Daniel to double over in pain.

Jack was all over him in a heartbeat, his hands competing with the warm spray of water to cover as much of the man's skin as possible. A minute or two of liberally applied TLC and Daniel was able to straighten up again. Only, he did more than just straighten up—he twisted around in Jack's arms and hugged him close. Jack could feel the pounding of Daniel's heart against his chest and knew something was about to happen. Jack's own heart-rate dialled up a notch in fearful anticipation.

A pair of anxious blue eyes peered at him through long, wet lashes. There was fear in those eyes, but it was tempered by a stubborn determination that Jack knew so well. With a boldness Jack hadn't expected, Daniel leaned in and pressed their lips together in a brief kiss.

God, it was sweet! Jack had to draw on hidden reserves to restrain himself from just grabbing Daniel and locking their lips together in a fierce kiss. But the wild thrumming of his friend's heart against his chest and his rapid breathing reminded Jack that this wasn't as easy for Daniel as it was for him.

Daniel took a moment to regroup. The kiss hadn't been nearly as traumatic as he'd feared it would be—but then it hadn't been a _real_ kiss, had it? He looked into Jack's eyes and was startled to see a controlled hunger burning there. It would have been frightening if he hadn't been absolutely sure Jack would keep his word. Jack had promised to follow his lead and not push for anything he wasn't ready for, and he'd been true to his word so far. So what if Jack enjoyed the kiss? Daniel figured it could only help matters in the long run.

Deciding that he needed to get past their first kiss before his ailment demanded more of them, Daniel once again brought his lips up to Jack's. It was strange—Jack's lips were softer than he'd expected…not much different than a woman's lips, really. But he'd never kissed anyone who was the same height as him, or who was physically stronger than him, and somehow it made him feel…liberated—like the pressure wasn't on him to perform. He could simply be himself, go at his own pace, and Jack would take care of the rest.

As the water sluiced soothingly down his back, Daniel felt emboldened and bravely took the next step, darting his tongue out to quickly swipe at Jack's lips. He could feel Jack jolt in his arms, sending an answering jolt through his own body, making his fingers tingle. It was something he'd never experienced before, and as nervous as he was, he was still curious. And when he got curious, he touched things.

As if with a mind of their own, his fingers reached up to Jack's face, tracing along the other man's jaw line and up to his cheekbone. His brain registered how different an experience this was—how Jack's jaw was starting to prickle with a fresh growth of stubble, and how short the hair was at his temple—while his lips continued to play against Jack's. And when Jack's lips parted in invitation, Daniel didn't hesitate to let his tongue venture into the wet warmth of Jack's mouth.

All attempts to remain distant and analytical failed when Jack's hands slid up his back, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. Sensation engulfed him—strong arms around him, determined tongue clashing with his own, Daniel let his barriers slip for the first time in his life, an truly let himself _feel_. He knew Jack would be there to pick up the pieces when it was all over, but it was still terrifying…and exhilarating. His entire body trembled at the onslaught of sensations, while at the same time burning with the need to feel more. His hands scrabbled against Jack's wet back, trying to get closer than was physically possible, and when he felt the telling hardness of Jack's erection digging into his hip through two layers of cotton, his own cock instantly twitched and thickened. Acting on base instinct, Daniel rolled his hips against Jack's, grinding into him with an urgent need for friction.

With a startled grunt Daniel realised what he was doing and suddenly pushed away from Jack. His head was spinning, dizzy with arousal, but what little blood he still had left in his brain was screaming at him to run for the hills.

His body had reacted! And the fear that slammed through him in response to that reaction left him breathless. Literally.

Heedless of the water pouring down his face, Jack hovered over him. Had he fallen? Daniel couldn't recall falling, but he must have. Daniel was distantly aware that Jack was talking to him, asking him questions laced with concern, but it sounded like it was coming from miles away…didn't have anything to do with him.

Jack's concern turned to mild panic as he watched Daniel floundering like a fish out of water. He was afraid to get too close—afraid he would only make things worse—but he needed to calm Daniel down in a big way, and he wasn't responding to his voice. He had to risk it.

Jack edged closer until he was crouched down next to Daniel on the floor of the shower stall. He reached out with the same care snake handlers use on highly venomous species. When Daniel didn't recoil or strike out at him, Jack made contact, gently placing a hand on Daniel's arm. It seemed to work—Daniel's eyes focused on him and his breathing started to even out.

"We have _got_ to stop meeting like this," Jack joked and got a weak smile in return. "Are you okay?" he asked seriously.

Daniel closed his eyes and took inventory. His heart rate was slowly returning to normal and the adrenalin in his system was starting to dissipate. He felt a little nauseous—probably from all the adrenalin—but otherwise he was fine. "I think I'm okay now," he answered, his mouth almost too dry to get the words out.

"Did I go too fast?" asked Jack worriedly. "I didn't mean to."

"No, it wasn't you. It was…_I_ was okay with it," Daniel said reassuringly. "In fact, I was a little bit too okay with it," he added with a shy grimace.

Jack smiled warmly at him and stroked Daniel's arm. "If you hadn't noticed, I was pretty okay with it too."

Daniel was about to argue that it was only normal for Jack to react that way to a kiss, when it suddenly occurred to him that it wasn't—so far as he knew, Jack was as straight as they come, so it wasn't at all normal for him to react that way to another man. Daniel blinked mutely up into Jack's warm brown eyes and felt a moment of connection, like two pieces of a puzzle had clicked into place on some deep, unspoken level.

"You wanna try standing up now?" Jack asked, offering him a hand. Daniel took hold of it and was hauled to his feet with little effort.

"Jack…"

"It's alright, Daniel—no need to make a big deal about it," Jack said with a shrug. "Soap?" he prompted.

Relieved, Daniel was spurred into action and twisted around to grab the bar of soap from its tray. Once again Jack had made everything alright, and he made it seem so easy. It always amazed Daniel how unshakable Jack was. Nothing seemed to faze him; he just rolled with the punches and came back with a clever retort without a feather out of place.

They washed separately, taking turns with the soap and facing away from each other as much as possible. Still, Daniel could feel the warm residual ache left behind by that kiss and he wondered for the first time if he might have finally found someone he could enjoy being with.

And how ironic that it happened to be someone he could never have.

* * *

Scrubbed clean and wrapped in fresh towels, Jack and Daniel emerged from the steamy bathroom to find someone had left a huge basket of goodies for them on the little round table.

Jack instantly started rooting through their booty while Daniel plucked the little card off of the large basket's handle and read it out loud.

"To help pass the time," Daniel read, squinting a bit at the card because he hadn't put on his glasses yet. "It's Sam's writing."

"Somehow I doubt these are from Carter," Jack said, dangling a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs from his finger like they were toxic.

"I wouldn't be so sure," said Daniel.

"You know something I don't know?" Jack asked suspiciously.

"Just that, like you, Sam tends to handle awkward situations with humour."

Jack had to shrug, acknowledging the truth of that. "What else is there?" he asked, more for Daniel's benefit than his own, seeing as he'd already peeked into the basket.

Daniel pulled out a family sized pack of Oreo cookies, a game of Yahtzee, a small stack of crossword puzzle books, and Jack's PSP from home along with an assortment of games. At the bottom of the basket was a six pack of Budweiser, which Jack turned his nose up at, calling it an inferior brand of beer.

Tucked under the case of beer was a wrapped parcel with a little card attached. Daniel dug it out, handing the present to Jack while he once again did the honours, reading the card.

"It's from Janet," he said—all he got in reply was a grunt from Jack, who was having trouble unwrapping the gift with one hand still wrapped around Daniel's waist. Daniel opened the card and read it to Jack. "Thought you might need these. Janet."

Jack finally made progress with the stubborn gift wrap and revealed a DVD box set of the Die Hard movies.

"Sweet!" Jack exclaimed and turned the full force of his excited puppy-dog eyes on Daniel.

"Fine—put it on," he said, checking through the basket's contents again, hoping to find something resembling a book to read. He supposed he could keep himself busy with the crosswords whenever Jack pulled out the Playstation, but it wasn't the same as curling up with a good book.

"Holy crap!" Jack shouted as he dropped the open box set onto the table like it had burst into flames.

"What?"

Jack didn't answer; instead, he pointed at the offending present accusingly. Daniel indulged him and had a look for himself. Inside the DVD case there were no movies. Instead, Janet had inserted a book…just not the kind of book Daniel had been hoping for. A not-so-subtle photo on the cover of a paperback edition of 'The Joy of Gay Sex' stared back at him.

Daniel's initial reaction was the same as Jack's—to recoil in sheer mortification from its presence—but after the shock of seeing it had worn off, he picked up the book and turned it over in his hands to read the back cover.

"Daniel?" Jack asked warily as his curious friend began flipping through the sex guide.

"She's right, Jack," Daniel answered with a distracted shrug, "this book might come in handy…unless you already know what you're doing?" he asked leadingly.

Jack stared back at him blankly.

"I'll take that as a no," Daniel concluded. He continued to riffle through the pages while Jack resolutely refused to look. "That's interesting," Daniel muttered.

Despite himself, Jack had to take a peek. He was expecting to see a full-page, explicitly detailed colour photograph of something he really didn't want to look at, but all there was on the page Daniel had stopped at was boring old text. And a bookmark with Janet's handwriting on the back of it.

_'Look in the top drawer of the dresser.'_

They shared a baffled look before shuffling their way across the room to the bulky wooden dresser that dominated the far wall. Jack cautiously pulled the top drawer open and they peered into it together, drawing strength in numbers.

"Oh," said Daniel, which was more than Jack was able to say. Lying at the bottom of the otherwise empty drawer was a pump bottle of the same lubricant Doctor Fraiser used during her more intrusive examinations.

Daniel slowly shut the drawer and they stood there, speechless, each of them trying to think of something appropriate to say.

"Game of Yahtzee?" asked Jack, going for all-out denial.

"Sounds good," Daniel agreed amiably, and they turned their backs on the ominous pull of the drawer and its contents. By a silent agreement, they'd decided they would deal with that when they had to, and not before.


	10. Chapter 10

* * *

"No, no, Sir, I understand," O'Neill said into the telephone. "Thanks for trying." He reached across Daniel to hang up the phone.

"No luck?" Daniel asked redundantly.

Jack shrugged. "Apparently King Kwan's doesn't deliver this far."

"How about pizza, then?" Daniel asked, nestling back against Jack's bare chest. They'd found it impossible to sit at the table and still maintain the requisite amount of physical contact, so they'd had to move onto the bed. At first Daniel was reluctant to settle down on the bed with a nearly-naked Jack, but he'd had little choice in the matter. He'd had little choice in any of this, actually. But he also had to admit that he didn't mind it so much, thanks to Jack's relaxed attitude. This ordeal could have become a living nightmare if Jack hadn't been so laid back about it all. And now Daniel was quite happy to cosy up to the colonel in bed. He'd never been much for cuddling before, but he was starting to understand the attraction.

Jack dialled out again and got Carter on the phone. A couple of minutes later their order was placed.

"Carter's gonna try and smuggle in some Ben and Jerry's for us," Jack announced.

"Think we'll actually get any of it?"

"Not if Teal'c gets a hold of it first," Jack replied. "The man has a sweet tooth like you wouldn't believe!"

Daniel smiled and stretched out cat-like across Jack's outstretched legs. He told himself he was experimenting to find the most comfortable positions to be in and still maintain optimum body contact. Daniel quickly crossed off the current position from the list, deciding that lying face up across Jack's lap was definitely not comfortable. He was about to shift around to return to his favourite spot next to Jack when Jack's hands alighted on his exposed stomach. Jack's eyes were focused on the T.V., apparently engrossed in an episode of Wheel of Fortune, but his hands had taken a distinct interest in Daniel's abdomen.

Daniel stilled, not wanting to move and frighten Jack off. It felt rather nice having a pair of strong, confident hands smoothing over his skin. It felt damned nice, actually. As Jack's fingers cascaded down his ribs, Daniel let out a soft sigh. He looked up to see Jack watching him, his eyes warm and a hint of a smile tugging his lips up at the corners. Daniel felt his body warming under Jack's touch and he tried not to fight it. He kept reminding himself that it was Jack. He could trust Jack. The words filled his mind in a repetitive loop like a mantra or a prayer.

"Can I kiss you, Daniel?" Jack asked hesitantly, so uncharacteristically unsure of himself that Daniel felt a wave of protectiveness sweep over him, and he found himself nodding.

Jack bent over him at an awkward angle and softly brushed his lips over Daniel's before sitting up again. Daniel, who'd kept his eyes close the whole time, opened them when Jack failed to continue.

"Is that the best you can do?" asked Daniel, deliberately baiting him. Jack's eyes sparked at the challenge and the look in his eyes sent a shiver racing up Daniel's spine. Daniel was surprised at this own boldness and even more surprised at how much he was enjoying himself with Jack. Even under intimate circumstances, being with Jack was easy.

This time they moved together, rolling over each other until they'd found a more comfortable position on the bed, and as Jack's mouth found his, Daniel surprised them both with a heartfelt moan. Kissing led to touching and then on to stroking and rubbing, until Daniel couldn't tell where he ended and Jack began.

As Daniel kissed a trail down Jack's throat, Jack let out a deep grumbling groan and pried the other man off him.

Daniel looked down at him with lust-drunk eyes. "Jack?"

"Just making sure you're okay with this," he answered, his eyes straying to Daniel's kiss-swollen lips.

"Oh, I'm good," Daniel answered with a wide grin. "You?"

"Couldn't be better," Jack replied, his grin mirroring Daniel's.

Daniel became serious, studying Jack's face as if he'd never really looked at it before. And he never really _had_, had he, Daniel wondered. This was a Jack no one at the SGC ever got to see—tender, passionate…vulnerable. It was the easiest thing in the world to lose himself in a deep, soul-baring kiss with Jack.

Jack's eyes rolled shut and his toes curled as Daniel's tongue traced the shell of his ear and down to the soft skin behind his jaw. He was already rigidly erect, and his composure was starting to crack. If they kept this up he wouldn't be able to stop himself from grinding into Daniel's belly, and he was afraid of another freak-out session like they'd had in the shower.

As it turned out, he was saved by the bell—or at least by a knock at the door. The two of them jerked apart and stared at the door in unison.

"Colonel?" came Sam's voice form the other side of the locked door. "Your pizza's here."

"Damn," Jack muttered, and then called out, "Just a minute!" As Daniel rolled off of him, Jack was acutely aware that he wasn't the only one sporting a king-size tent in his boxers. "Damn," he muttered again.

"I'll get it," Daniel volunteered and rolled out of bed dragging along the top blanket to wrap himself up in. He had already unlocked the door and ushered Sam in before he even noticed Jack's absence—which explained the edgy, relieved smile on Sam's face.

"I see you're…better?" she said, handing Daniel the stacked pizza boxes. She held on to the ice cream, however, just in case they were in a sharing mood.

"Daniel?" Jack asked anxiously from across the room. "Are you okay over there?"

"Yeah," said a surprised Daniel. "I'm actually feeling fine."

Sam finally noticed the compromising situation she'd walked in on and turned her burning face away from her C.O. on the bed. Instead, she focused on Daniel, who was at least covered up, and tried to think like a scientist. "Well that could be promising," she said. "Maybe you were right—maybe the effects of the statue do wear off over time."

"Maybe," Daniel said doubtfully. He'd been fooled by this illness before, and he wasn't about to fall for it again. "So…thanks for the pizza," he said, filling the uncomfortable gap in conversation.

"We'd invite you to join us…" said Jack leadingly.

"Right," Carter said with a renewed blush. "I'll be off, then." She set the tub of ice cream on top of the pizza boxes in Daniel's arms, but no sooner had she let go than his armload tumbled to the floor, followed shortly by Daniel himself.

Carter was so shocked by Daniel's sudden collapse that Jack made it to his side before she did.

"Carter! Help me get him to the bed!" Jack shouted over the noise of their friend's screaming.

The soldier in her took over and she sprang into action, grabbing Daniel's legs around the calves while Jack hoisted him up by the armpits. The blanket Daniel had been wrapped in fell away as they struggled to haul the writhing man over to the bed.

After setting him down, Carter stood transfixed as her C.O. climbed onto the bed and plastered himself over Daniel. With Daniel's squirming and moaning and their near nakedness, she felt the same way she had when she was a little girl and she'd accidentally walked in on her parents. Only, this was worse, because these were her friends, and she really shouldn't be watching…but she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away.

"Carter—I really don't think you should be here for this," said Jack in trademark understatement.

Sam couldn't find her voice to reply, and she knew he wasn't expecting an answer, so she backed away, eyes still drawn to the two men on the bed. Only when she bumped into the table did she turn away and bolt for the door.

She slammed the door shut behind her, frozen to the spot by images of Daniel and the colonel looping endlessly in her mind. Even though nothing had really happened, she still felt like a peeping Tom. They weren't actually doing anything, and yet it was possibly the most erotic thing she'd ever witnessed—a thought that truly disturbed her and left her feeling deeply guilty.

* * *

As soon as the door slammed shut, Jack latched his mouth to Daniel's and kissed him until he started responding in kind. Soon the pained moans had turned into moans of a different nature, and Daniel's writing took on a more productive quality, of which Jack wholeheartedly approved. And that was why he had to put a stop to it, before he got so carried away that he wouldn't be able to uphold his promise to Daniel.

Jack regretfully unlatched himself from Daniel's very responsive lips and looked down into his friend's perplexed, lust-dilated eyes.

"Why'd you stop?" Daniel asked, his hands stilling against Jack's back.

"You're feeling better now, aren't you?" Jack countered reasonably.

"Yeeeess…but I'd be feeling a whole lot better if you hadn't stopped.

"It's time for dinner. Pizza's getting cold," Jack said, stalling. The furrowing of Daniel's brow indicated that the younger man wasn't buying it. "Alright—you want the truth?" he asked, and Daniel answered with a sombre nod. "The truth is, if I hadn't stopped when I did, I don't think I could have stopped at all," he said, a look of earnest apology softening his features.

Daniel thought about what Jack said and he nodded his understanding. Neither of them was ready to take the last step just yet…and he _was_ hungry. Still, it was hard to will his body to calm down, especially with Jack so close, his body obviously as geared up for action as his own.

Jack had closed his eyes and dropped his head onto Daniel's shoulder, doing his best to think of anything but the strong, slim body under him—anything but the lips he was already addicted to and the warm, musky scent that he couldn't get enough of. They were both breathing too hard and Jack knew that it wouldn't take much to nudge Daniel into blindly taking the plunge with him into a whole new level of intimacy.

Jack groaned and forced himself to roll off Daniel, his sense of responsibility overruling his body's demands. Daniel groaned too, and they shared a shy, embarrassed smile before jointly clambering off the bed to retrieve the pizza.

* * *

It had been a long, emotionally charged day, and the pizza and half-melted Chunky Monkey ice cream served as a kind of narcotic, dulling their senses and making them drowsy. Daniel had fallen asleep the minute his head hit his pillow, despite the fact that the lights were still on and the T.V. was blaring.

Spooned up behind him, Jack couldn't reach the light over on Daniel's side of the bed to turn it off, but with a little manoeuvring, he was able to reach the remote control on the bedside table behind him and turn off the television. Daniel was so out of it he didn't even flinch at the sudden cessation of noise. He was so dead to the world he probably wouldn't have noticed a full-blown Goa'uld attack on base, Jack thought wryly.

Jack smiled, propping himself up on one elbow to watch Daniel sleep. Once again the younger man's bangs had fallen into his eyes and Jack deftly brushed them aside so they no longer impeded his view. He absently wondered how many more nights he might have like this and was dismayed at the realisation that this night would likely be their last night together. The way things had been progressing, they couldn't put off the inevitable for long. And when this was all over, chances were pretty good that he and Daniel would be 'over' too.

Jack felt himself slipping into the realm of dark thoughts and mentally put his foot down. He needed to stay positive—Daniel was too sensitive not to notice a sudden change in his mood, and he was relying on him to be the strong one. The thought occurred to him that perhaps Daniel was sensitive enough to have already clued in to Jack's burgeoning feelings for him. After all, it was pretty clear that they both felt a physical attraction, and maybe, if he could make their first encounter a really good one, Daniel might overcome his fears enough to give him a fighting chance.

The basket sitting on the little round table drew Jack's eye. He could see the book Janet had left them nestled between the Oreos and the crossword books. If he could just get to it…

He took a long, assessing look at the sleeping man curled up on his side in front of him and considered the risks. If he was fast enough, Daniel might not feel any pain—he might sleep through it none the wiser.

Jack uncoiled himself from the restraints of the blankets and carefully extricated his arm from under Daniel's head. He then made a mad dash for the book on the table and dove back under the covers just as Daniel began whimpering and thrashing in his sleep. His friend and soon-to-be lover thrashed his way into Jack's arms and immediately settled, which made Jack's heart ache with a tenderness he hadn't felt in years.

He waited until he was sure Daniel was fast asleep and then he opened the book for a little late night education into the joys of gay sex.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: This chapter contains content suitable for mature audiences only and has been edited to fit the guidelines of this site. If you are of legal age and wish to read the full, unabridged version of this chapter, it is available on Adult Fanfiction and on my website, Neena's Cabana.

* * *

In his dreams Daniel was being chased by an enormous swarm of bees. No matter how fast he ran they managed to surround him, stinging him everywhere, until he succumbed to his surging panic. 

Daniel woke up shouting, his hands fending off a swarm of bees that didn't exist. But the stinging pain was real enough. He suddenly found himself yanked backwards and engulfed in a strong embrace. He struggled, still wrapped up in the frightening images from his nightmare.

"Daniel, it's okay. It's me," said Jack, his head turned towards Daniel's so his mouth was right next to his ear.

The sound of Jack's voice had an instant effect on Daniel. The nightmare fled to the far reaches of his mind and he rolled into Jack's embrace, their lips meeting by unspoken consent.

"Jack," Daniel panted. "It's getting stronger."

"I know," Jack answered as he peppered Daniel's throat with small wet kisses.

"It's a pattern. I figured it out—the greater the contact between us, the longer I can go without being touched…but the more contact I need when the pain returns."

"I noticed."

Daniel was silent for a moment, losing himself in Jack's caresses as the other man's mouth ventured past the hollow of his clavicle to lick a trail down his chest—it was a struggle for Daniel to remain focused enough to keep talking. "Jack, I don't think we'll be able to stop this time," he gasped at last, just as the point of Jack's tongue began teasing circles around his nipple. Heat flooded down to his groin, and Daniel bucked against Jack, eager to build up some friction.

"Mmm…" Jack replied, clearly not paying much attention.

"It's too soon. We're not ready," Daniel panted, his nails digging into the flesh of Jack's back.

Jack's head lifted in concern as Daniel's words finally sank in. "We can stop any time you want, Daniel," he promised solemnly. "You'll be okay for a while if we just keep on doing what we've been doing. If you're not ready for more…"

Daniel stared up at the ceiling and took a deep breath to steady his shaky nerves. "I want more, Jack," he admitted to the ceiling. "I'm ready for more—but we have no idea what we're doing."

"Speak for yourself," said Jack with a shit-eating grin.

Daniel's eyes snapped down to meet Jack's and his expression morphed from one of confusion to one of astonishment when he saw that Jack wasn't joking. "You read the book? When? How?"

Jack chuckled. "I think the how is pretty much self explanatory. I may not be a doctor of anything, but I do know how to read." Daniel smacked him in the arm for being so cheeky. "Ow!"

"Answer the question."

"Alright! It's no big deal," said Jack, still grinning. "It's not like I read the entire book—just the important bits."

Daniel was speechless, touched beyond reason that Jack would willingly pick up that book and read it for him.

Jack twitched a little under Daniel's intensely grateful gaze. Feeling his face get warm in what could be interpreted as a blush. "Like I said—no big deal. I just…I wanted to do this right. I didn't want your memory of our first time to suck, you know? After all, I do have a reputation to live up to."

Daniel smiled. "It's not like anyone else is ever going to know," he said, secretly wondering if Jack was even aware he'd said 'first time'…as in 'first time of many'.

"You'd know," Jack countered. "And yours is the only opinion that matters." They were silent for a while and Jack tried to read Daniel's thoughts. "You know that I care about you…right?" he asked at last.

Daniel's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Of course I know you care," he said, as if it was a stupid question.

Jack peered back at the younger man and saw plainly that he didn't get it at all. Jack opened his mouth, intending to explain exactly what he meant by 'care', but it had taken so long to get Daniel comfortable with him that Jack didn't want to risk rocking the boat with an ill-timed declaration of 'care'.

"Never mind," Jack said, realizing Daniel was waiting for him to say something. "So…"

"So…this is awkward," said Daniel.

"It would be less awkward if we stopped talking," Jack suggested with a semi-smirk. Daniel shrugged back his agreement and, with a bit of manoeuvring, he pulled Jack down on top of him and was putting his lips to better use.

Daniel was a good kisser—or so he'd been told by the few women he'd kissed—but kissing Jack was a completely different experience. For one thing, Daniel was enjoying it; kissing had always felt like a bit of a chore to him—something to do to make his partner happy. But somehow, kissing Jack felt right, felt natural. No one else had ever made his blood rush the way Jack did, and it made Daniel wonder, fleetingly, if this was _it_—if Jack was 'the one'. It didn't bear thinking about, though, because despite Jack's slip of the tongue earlier, Jack wouldn't be doing this if there had been any other option. And there certainly wouldn't be a next time.

Daniel tried to push those thoughts aside, but the emotional strain of the last few days had taken its toll on him and he felt hot, prickling tears building up in his eyes.

Jack sensed something was wrong and pulled back. "Daniel?" he asked, stroking the other man's temple with the pad of his thumb as he searched into watery blue eyes. He felt a fresh wave of shame for having been enjoying himself so thoroughly when it was obviously a painful experience for Daniel.

Daniel shook his head, not wanting to speak, and began kissing Jack with renewed purpose. If one night was all he could get, he would take it and be grateful. To his great relief, Jack got with the program and pretended nothing had happened. For once Daniel was grateful that Jack was a man of action instead of a man of words.

Jack took his time, slowly exploring Daniel's arms, throat and chest, worried that Daniel was on the verge of calling a halt to the proceedings. In an attempt to assuage Daniel's fears, he put everything he felt for the man into his kisses and into his gently possessing caresses, and the power of his true feelings created an almost palpable charge in the air between them. Before long, Daniel was squirming and gasping beneath him, his chest heaving as his hands fisted the sheet beneath him.

Daniel was so caught up in the moment that he hardly noticed when Jack removed their boxer shorts, taking away the last barrier between them—the last means of escape. It was only when he felt the slick heat of Jack's penis rubbing against his own that he realized how utterly vulnerable he was. He needed to slow things down, to take control before the panic set in again. With some reluctance, Daniel gently pushed Jack off him—just far enough so he could get a good look at him.

Jack backed off instantly, letting Daniel take his time, even though his dick was aching to make contact again. He could tell that his friend wasn't calling it quits—just taking a breather—and then he saw Daniel's eyes go wide with fear as they alighted on Jack's hard, weeping cock. Jack felt Daniel's entire body tense up and could actually see Daniel's galloping pulse below the skin in the hollow of his throat.

"Whoa, Danny! Take it easy," said Jack, knowing exactly what was going through the other man's head.

"I don't think that's gonna fit, Jack," said Daniel, his voice tinted with an edge of hysteria.

"I guess it would be callous of me to say thank-you?" said Jack, immediately regretting the flippant remark. "Seriously, Daniel—we'll go slow. It'll be fine, I promise."

Rationally, Daniel knew Jack was right, but he was having a hell of a time convincing his body of that. From head to toe, every muscle in his body had clenched tight as if ready to fend off an attack.

"Right," said Jack decisively. "Turn over." When Daniel's eyes went even wider, he added, "for a massage, Daniel. It'll help you relax."

Daniel hesitantly obeyed, flipping over to lie on his stomach, head propped up on his hands so he could easily check over his shoulder. "You any good at this?" he asked in an attempt to sound casual.

"The best," Jack answered smugly as he dug his thumbs into the knotted muscles of Daniel's shoulders. Daniel grunted and tensed up even more, but within minutes Jack's hands had worked their magic and he felt his stress starting to melt away along with the knots.

Jack smiled to himself as he watched Daniel's eyes flutter contentedly shut. Jack was pretty sure no one had ever done this for his friend, if the rock-hard muscles in his back were anything to go by, and he decided that when this was over, he'd make this a weekly tradition. It was gratifying to see the young man so relaxed because of him. A little too relaxed, actually, Jack realized as Daniel's breathing evened out into the rhythm of sleep. He decided it was time to try spicing things up a bit.

It didn't take much to get Daniel's full attention. All it took was for Jack's hands to venture past the small of his back to knead the pert flesh of his ass, and Daniel snapped his head up in surprise.

Daniel peered over his shoulder as Jack continued to massage his butt. Daniel maintained eye contact, thinking along the same lines he did when Janet had a needle poised at his arm—it always hurt less when you took away the element of surprise. He discovered that he was no longer scared or even tense—he was just curious as to what Jack would do next.

Jack saw in Daniel's lazy gaze that he had permission to continue. His heart beat overtime as he realized that this was it—whether he was ready or not, he was about to cross that final line, and there would be no turning back.

He took a deep breath and stretched his full length over top of Daniel's body. He started with a butterfly-soft kiss at the nape of his neck, inhaling the scent of Daniel's skin and the clean fragrance of shampoo and soap.

Daniel gave Jack an appreciative "Mmm," as warm lips pressed kisses against every one of his vertebra, making side trips to visit the odd rib along the way. His touch was mesmerizing, focusing his attention down to where Jack was heading, but in a way that inspired anticipation rather than fear. Every kiss to his massage-heated back was an affirmation of their trust and friendship, and left him wanting more. The last kiss, placed softly at the base of his tailbone, sent a shiver of pure need up Daniel's spine as all his blood pounded down to his groin in a mad rush.

"Hang on, Danny," Jack whispered, and left the bed.

"Jack!" Daniel called piteously—not because he was in pain, but because he desperately wanted him to come back and finish what he'd started.

Jack was at his side in a heartbeat. "Right here, Daniel," he said, placing a warm hand at the small of Daniel's back in reassurance.

"I'm ready, Jack," Daniel said, looking back at him through a veil of lashes.

Jack swallowed hard and tried to reign in his rampant heartbeat. Daniel's soft-spoken declaration, combined with the feast of smooth skin laid out before him in invitation, had him practically drooling and mindless with lust.

"Okay, Daniel," Jack said in as calm a voice as he could. His fingers were shaking so hard he almost dropped the bottle of lubricant when he went to pick it up.

"Relax, Jack," said Daniel, pillowing his head against his folded arms. "You'll do fine."

Jack shook his head and chuckled. It figured that Daniel would be the one to dispense reassurances when he should have been on the receiving end instead. Jack concentrated on taking care of the mechanics, which had the added bonus of preventing him from chickening out. He carefully positioned Daniel, pillow under his hips to get the angle just right, and this time, when Jack set out to use the lubricant, he was calm enough to keep his hands steady. He was bolstered by the fact that Daniel hadn't panicked so far. Still, with the acid test about to commence, panic was still a distinct possibility.

"You relaxed?" asked Jack nervously. Daniel's 'yes' was muffled by a pillow, but Jack heard it—couldn't pretend he hadn't.

Jack pumped some of the clear, viscous lubricant onto his palm and coated the fingers of his right hand. Well, he thought, here goes nothing…


	12. Chapter 12

* * *

The next morning Daniel woke up alone in the bed he'd been sharing with Jack. His initial reaction was fear that the pain would come back, and then he remembered that he didn't have to worry about it anymore and a wave of relief washed over him. He could honestly say that he'd never experienced anything as horrible as the pain Hathor's device had caused. But then, if it hadn't been for that device, he would never have had such an eye-opening night with Jack.

It was funny. Daniel had been happy enough with his life and things had been going pretty well, he'd thought. But after one night with Jack, he realized that he'd been walking through his life only half alive. He'd never felt so…complete in all his life. It was a big deal—huge, in fact—and the only person he could talk with about it was currently nowhere in sight.

Daniel sat up, feeling lonely and adrift, realizing that Jack had made his escape during the night without bothering to wake him. Daniel had never been one to indulge in self-pity, but he had to admit, this one hurt. He was just gathering up the will to get out of bed when the bathroom door opened and Jack came out, squeaky clean and wrapped in a towel.

Daniel smiled, feeling like an idiot for jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst. He chalked up his lack of faith to the emotional roller-coaster ride he'd been on for the last few days, and promised he wouldn't allow himself to doubt Jack again. He watched as Jack walked over to the dresser and started pulling out his clothes, his expression unreadable. Daniel's smile slipped a notch when he couldn't get Jack to make eye contact with him.

"Shower's all yours," said Jack, his eyes anywhere but on Daniel.

"Um…thanks?" Daniel replied uncertainly. "Jack, is everything alright?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?" Jack answered distractedly and busied himself with getting dressed.

"Okay," said Daniel, not convinced in the slightest. "I'll just be in there, then," he added, indicating the bathroom.

"Good," Jack said, his back turned as he hitched up his pants. "When you're done, report to the infirmary. You can join me in the commissary for breakfast when you've been cleared." Fully dressed now, Jack left the VIP suite without as much as a backward glance.

Daniel stood there, dumbfounded, feeling as if he'd just been slapped across the face. He'd been living in a bubble for the last few days. It had been frightening, but he'd had Jack, and that made everything okay. In a way, Jack had been his entire world since this whole thing began, and now it felt like his whole world had collapsed around him.

He shook his head, trying to shake the maudlin thoughts that had gripped him. It wasn't fair to be upset with Jack. He'd been amazingly sensitive and kind throughout the whole ordeal, but now that it was over, who could blame him for pulling away, for freaking out over what they'd done? What had he expected? Did he think Jack would wake up in his arms and declare his undying love? Daniel gusted out a pained laugh—Jack was his commanding officer, and a good man—he'd done what was necessary to save a member of his team. Nothing more.

Mechanically, Daniel went through the motions of showering and getting dressed as his brain relentlessly picked away at problem of salvaging his friendship with Jack. His mind was still plugging away at the problem when he left the VIP suite for the infirmary. In the hallway outside the suite there was an SF who must have been standing guard. Daniel gave him a cursory glance as he approached the young man, and he could have sworn he felt waves of hatred emanating from him. Instinctively, Daniel gave the military man a wide berth as he passed. It was probably just his imagination, but years of being the youngest and smallest boy in class taught him to respect his instincts regarding potential bullies.

* * *

Dr. Fraiser was patching up a burn on Sgt. Siler's arm when Daniel arrived at the infirmary. She looked surprised to see him and nodded at him to take a seat on his usual bed. She finished with Siler and sent him on his way, discretely closing the door behind him.

She looked at Daniel expectantly, her eyes asking 'well?' even though propriety and regulations forbade her from asking the question aloud.

"I'm all better," Daniel answered with a shy smile, feeling the heat rising to his face.

"Let me be the judge of that," said Janet, and she proceeded to put him through the usual gamut of tests.

"Well?" Daniel asked at last, his stomach growling loudly enough for Fraiser to hear it.

Janet smiled brightly. "Well…the organisms are still present, but it appears that they're dead, and considering the colonel isn't nearby to have an affect on them, I'd say you're in the clear. It'll most likely take a few days for the organisms to pass through your system, but I see no reason to worry."

"So…I'm cleared for duty?" Daniel asked, just to be sure.

"I don't see why not. But if you feel anything out of the ordinary, I want you to let me know immediately. Understood?"

Daniel grinned his thanks and got down from the bed. Breakfast wasn't so much calling as yelling, now, and he was anxious to meet up with Jack.

But when he saw what was waiting for him in the commissary, Daniel almost turned tail and ran in the opposite direction, hunger be damned. Jack was sitting at a table in the centre of the room with Sam and Teal'c, and most of the other tables were occupied by SF's and Marines catching breakfast before their shift started. As Daniel entered the commissary, all eyes turned towards him and a sudden hush fell upon the room. The base rumour mill must have been working overtime! He thought he might die on the spot.

"Daniel!" Carter called after what felt like eons.

"Hey guys," Daniel answered with a duck of his head and he took the seat next to Jack at their table. Slowly, the rest of the crowd went back to own breakfasts and conversations and Daniel straightened up in his chair. Jack, he noticed, was avoiding making eye contact with him, but seemed to have no qualms about rubbing knees with him. Maybe it was just a habit picked up from their forced confinement—maybe he wasn't even aware he was doing it.

"Fraiser gave you a clean bill of health?" asked Sam, skirting around the real question.

"Yes," Daniel answered. "It looks like everything's okay now."

Jack grunted and picked up his tray. "Great," he said. "Now things can get back to normal, hey Danny? You must be thrilled to be a free man again."

Daniel couldn't answer truthfully, so instead he left it at a quick nod, to be interpreted however he liked.

"I've got a meeting with Hammond, filling him in on our situation, and then he wants all of us in the briefing room in half an hour." Jack got up to return his tray and Teal'c got up with him, following him out of the commissary and leaving Daniel and Sam to finish their meals.

In a corridor carefully chosen for its isolation, Teal'c pulled Colonel O'Neill aside, wishing to speak with him privately.

"O'Neill, I am most pleased that you have succeeded in healing Daniel Jackson," he said, praising him the way he used to praise his son for completing a difficult or dangerous task.

"It was nothing," Jack muttered, rubbing the back of his neck to hide his embarrassment.

"I believe it was indeed something, O'Neill" Teal'c argued. "It speaks a great deal of your trust and affection for Daniel Jackson that you would allow him to take you in such a way."

Jack's hand came up, sharply cutting Teal'c off. "Whoa, there. What?" he demanded.

"I said…"

"I know what you said," Jack barked loudly and then looked around to make sure they were alone in the corridor. "What do you mean, 'take me'? There was no 'taking' of me going on in that room!"

Teal'c studied his friend carefully. It was clear that there had been a misunderstanding, but he was unsure as to which part O'Neill had misunderstood. "You are aware that in order for the device's effects to cease it was necessary to have penetrative intercourse with Daniel Jackson?"

Jack's head whipped around, afraid of being overheard, and the heat in his cheeks flamed a bit hotter. "Jeez, T! Keep it down, would ya?"

"You did not answer my question," the Jaffa replied stoically.

"Yes—okay? Yes, we…I…know that!" Jack answered in a stage whisper, mortified that he was having this conversation at all, let alone with a towering Jaffa warrior.

"And, as you took the place of Hathor in the role of Daniel Jackson's god, it follows that you would be the 'woman' in this situation."

Jack's mouth went bone dry and he blinked stupidly back at his large friend for several long seconds before his brain started working again.

"That's just your theory, Teal'c," he said with renewed confidence. "Daniel's fine now—Fraiser gave him the green light, so what we did obviously worked, didn't it?"

Teal'c simply bowed in return and set off down the corridor on his own, leaving Jack to stew in his own thoughts for a while.

* * *

Daniel entered the briefing room early. He'd escaped the commissary after rushing through a breakfast of toast and coffee, and this time he _knew_ it wasn't his imagination—people were staring at him. He tried to ignore it, but even Sam was starting to show signs of unease at the attention his presence was drawing. Although some of the looks he was receiving could be classified as merely curious, most of the attention was negative, consisting of loud, derogatory whispers and sneers.

He sighed as he slipped into his usual chair at the conference table, enjoying the simple pleasure of being alone in a quiet place. He had a few blessed minutes of peace until General Hammond and Jack came in, both of them looking ill at ease. Daniel guessed that Hammond had heard a little more than he was comfortable with about their time in the VIP suite.

What surprised Daniel was that Jack chose to sit next to him when there were so many other chairs available around the large, rectangular table. He was obviously trying to play it cool, acting like nothing had happened, and Daniel was itching to get him alone for a few minutes to confront him about his behaviour. He shifted slightly in his seat, deliberately inching his chair closer to Jack's, just to test his reaction. Jack surprised him again by leaning closer, rather than pulling away. Curious, thought Daniel; but he didn't have a chance to pursue that thought because Teal'c and Sam chose that moment to arrive and the meeting got under way.

"SG-1, I know Dr. Jackson and Colonel O'Neill have only just been cleared for active duty, but there's been an incident off-world and I need you there ASAP."

"Sir, does this have anything to do with the Negloma negotiations?" asked Carter. She'd heard rumours that SG-9 was having major difficulties with their ongoing negotiations with the advanced and highly volatile Neglomans. They had plenty of scientific advancements to offer, but they were a prickly lot, and even the SGC's team of trained negotiators were having a hard time gaining their trust. It was obviously time to bring out the big guns, AKA one Doctor Daniel Jackson, who had a magical flair when it came to winning the trust of aliens.

"SG-9 apparently said or did something that offended the Negloma. They're demanding that a proper apology be made and a new, more flexible, negotiator step in before they release SG-9 and continue our talks."

"And if the apology doesn't meet with their approval?" asked Jack.

The crease in Hammond's forehead deepened. "There was mention of retribution and penalties in the event that they are not satisfied." He took a deep breath and met the eyes of his flagship team one by one. "I don't need to tell you what a delicate situation this is. If at all possible, I need you to find a peaceful solution to this problem. The technology the Negloma have to offer would go a long way in ensuring the future funding of the SGC. But the safety of both teams is paramount. If necessary, do whatever is needed to bring SG-9 home safely." He received nods from every member of SG-1 before he continued. "I need you geared up and ready to go in fifteen minutes. Dismissed."

As O'Neill and his team headed out the door, Hammond put a hand on Daniel's arm, stopping him. "Ah—Dr. Jackson," Hammond hedged. "I must ask; do you feel up to the task of taking over the Negloma negotiations?"

Daniel saw in the general's pale blue eyes a question that went far deeper. He was genuinely concerned, not just about his health, but about how well he was coping with the situation. Daniel nodded, his solemn expression answering Hammond's questions, both spoken and unspoken.

"Good," the general smiled warmly. "I'll have an up to date file on the Negloma on your desk shortly."

* * *

The general was good to his word, and Daniel arrived at his lab to find an airman already there, a thick folder in his hands. He had no time to look through the file now—he could only hope that he'd have a chance to review it properly before he had to address the Negloman ministers.

He'd heard enough stories brought back from SG-9's frequent visits over the last few months to know that the Negloma were prone to extreme displays of emotion. The running joke was that it was like negotiating with a planet full of manic-depressives teenagers on speed. Daniel now wondered if the SGC's negotiating team was too by-the-book and restrained for the likes of such a passionate people as the Negloma.

Daniel hugged the file to his chest as he ploughed his way through the busy corridors of the SGC to the locker room to gear up for their mission. Jack, Sam and Teal'c were already there, Teal'c waiting patiently for his other team-mates to finish their preparations.

Daniel caught Jack's eye, expecting a reprimand for being late—for which he had an apology already prepared—but instead, Jack's brown eyes communicated a sadness that left Daniel confused. In the blink of an eye it was gone, though, and Daniel was left wondering if he'd seen it at all. Pursing his lips as he frowned at his own confusion, Daniel proceeded to get changed.

Within minutes the team was standing in the gate room, listening as Sgt. Harriman announced the encoding and locking of chevrons over the intercom. As he watched Sam quickly double-check her gear, Daniel felt a nagging itch…or was it a prickling?

"Um…Jack?" he said, anxiously.

"What?" Jack asked, his voice curt and professional as he mentally prepared for their upcoming mission.

Daniel shook his head. "Nothing," he replied quietly. It probably wasn't anything, anyways, he told himself. Janet had said he was cured, and he believed her. After all, he and Jack had done everything that needed to be done—why should he be worried?

They walked up the ramp side by side in the wake of the billowing wormhole, Daniel rubbing the back of his neck, doing his best to ignore the persistent tingling…


	13. Chapter 13

* * *

The stargate on the Negloma home world opened onto a wharf where representatives of the Negloman Ministry had a boat waiting to convey SG-1 to the capital city, Pini. The small, yacht-like boat was fast, but the deck was open to the elements, and the bitter wind cut through Daniel's jacket, making him shiver. 

Jack, sitting next to Daniel on the short bench at the stern of the boat, shifted closer to the younger man when he noticed the slight trembling. Daniel looked at him questioningly, but Jack kept his eyes on the passing scenery. Sam, however, caught Daniel's eye, and he could tell that her C.O.'s odd behaviour hadn't gone unnoticed. It was good to know he wasn't imagining it, thought Daniel. Although he still didn't know what to make of Jack's hot and cold running affections.

The boat ride only lasted a few minutes, as the government buildings had been built backing onto the river on the opposite bank from the stargate. It was barely enough time for Daniel to skim through the file SG-9 had compiled on the Negloma. Of course, it didn't help matters that Daniel got seasick whenever he tried to read, or that Jack kept distracting him by nudging his knee every few seconds. And he downright refused to admit that the tingling, itchy pain was slowly starting to reassert itself. He'd convinced himself it was just his body's way of rejecting the organisms, nothing more sinister than that.

They docked next to a long string of motor- and rowboats that were moored near the largest of the three government buildings. Jack got out of the boat last, following close on the heels of Daniel, who, he'd decided, was too quiet and withdrawn for comfort. Jack didn't know what was going on inside his friend's head, but something had him out of sorts, and he had a pretty good idea what it was. As they walked behind the Negloman representatives to the main hall, Jack drew up next to Daniel and bumped shoulders with him. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

Daniel frowned at him, part annoyed, part confused, and…something else. Discomfort, maybe?

"Right," said Jack. "You don't wanna talk about it."

"Now's not exactly the best time, Jack." Daniel answered tersely. "But, yes, I _do_ want to talk about it."

Jack was a bit taken aback by Daniel's confrontational tone and he stepped back, realising that his continued intrusions into Daniel's personal space might be the cause of his friend's discomfort. Jack knew he'd been overly touchy-feely with the guy, but he couldn't help it! It had been hard enough to keep to a strictly hand's-off policy with Daniel even before the Amadeus device…but now? Jack couldn't seem to drag himself away from the youngest member of his team for more than a minute or two, and he felt antsy whenever Daniel wasn't in sight.

The team was finally brought to the antechamber of the great hall to sit and await the arrival of Freyson, the chief minister of Pini. They didn't have to wait long. The thick, wooden doors of the main hall opened and Minister Freyson and his aide stepped through to the antechamber to greet them.

SG-1 got to their feet as the minister's aide made the formal introductions. There was a moment of sizing up, during which the air was filled with mutual tension. Freyson did not look like a typical politician—in fact Jack thought he looked more like Friar Tuck, but in a silk suit instead of a cowl. His bright eyes were sharp and intelligent, and he gave the impression of being a man to contend with. They all bowed politely, and then Daniel stepped forward.

But instead of offering up his usual dish of platitudes and peace-talk, he did something completely unexpected. He stepped up to Freyson, getting right into his face, and then he exploded in a tirade of angry insults. He yelled out accusations and curses with such vehemence that his face turned red and spittle flew from his lips. And the language! If jack hadn't been totally floored by Daniel's behaviour, he would have been impressed!

The minister's reaction was equally surprising. To the amazement of the rest of SG-1, Freyson froze for a moment and then burst out laughing, slapping Daniel jovially on the back.

"This is one who brings meat to the table!" Freyson roared in delight, his bulky frame fairly vibrating with mirth. "Leave us—we will confer over a shared meal, and you will have your answer concerning SG-9 within the hour."

It was not a suggestion, but a command, and the rest of SG-1 were blocked by guards as Freyson wrapped a meaty arm around Daniel's shoulders and guided him into the main hall.

* * *

The main hall turned out to be a banquet room fit for a medieval castle. Daniel couldn't help admiring the beautiful, faded tapestries that striped the high, stone walls at regular intervals. Each one was filled with images of people and mystical-looking creatures, and they each likely told some historic tale of the people and their mythology.

Freyson once again clapped Daniel hard on the back and beamed a hearty grin at him. "I see you are a connoisseur of past ways?"

Daniel tore his attention away from the tapestries long enough to smile back at his host. "It's what I do," he explained. "I study ancient and modern cultures, especially their languages."

"A man of great skill and wisdom, then," said Freyson with approval. "Come, sit! We have much to discuss."

It was only then that Daniel really noticed the enormous wooden table that spanned the length of the far wall. It was a glossy, red wood that reflected the flickering light of the three large fireplaces behind it. A truly magnificent piece of furniture, with legs carved into ornate sculptures of what appeared to be sea monsters.

Freyson chuckled and led Daniel to a spot along the table that was nearest the largest of the three flagstone fireplaces. Daniel sat, feeling the heat of the flames at his back, and a prickling sweat on his brow that had nothing to do with the fire. He pushed past the nagging prickling and concentrated on the parade of servers carrying in platters of meat dishes and salads. A full-sized banquet was laid before them, complete with ripe fruits and a cake iced with what looked suspiciously like chocolate frosting.

Freyson picked up a decanter of wine and poured a generous amount into two goblets. He lifted his in a toast, and Daniel copied him. "To the renewal of friendship between us and to a prosperous future!"

"To faithful friends and loyal allies," Daniel improvised, plastering on the best smile he could summon.

Freyson winked at him and downed his wine in one gulp. Afraid of insulting the minister, Daniel followed suit, feeling the rich, fruity drink burn a path down his gullet. He was just thinking that a wine of such calibre should be savoured, not guzzled, when a blinding, white-hot pain torched through him. His goblet hit the floor with a clatter, but he never heard it, or the screams that emanated from his own throat— he was engulfed in a world of agony unlike any he'd felt before. Even when he was stuck in the infirmary with Jack off-world, it had never been this bad. His one thought, twisting repeatedly around in his head, was that he wanted to die—he wanted to swallow a bullet and put an end to it.

Freyson, thinking he'd somehow inadvertently poisoned his feisty young guest, panicked and hit the alarm. With all of his strength, he wrestled the writhing, bucking man into a bear hug to prevent him from injuring himself. Within seconds a horde of muscle-bound and heavily armed guards descended upon them. The two beefiest men took over from Freyson, who directed them to take Daniel to the health centre. With little effort, the two guards carried the squirming, screaming man over to one of the hall's tapestries, pulled it aside to enter a hidden alcove where a transport pad was waiting to take them to the nearest health centre.

There was a flurry of activity as Freyson ordered the guards to coordinate with the health centre's security to establish diplomatic security protocols. With all of the shouting and controlled chaos, no one paid much attention to Jack, Carter and Teal'c, who had pushed their way into the hall shortly after the guards had rushed in.

Jack managed to corner a still-flustered Freyson, having scanned the room and found no sign of Daniel. "Where is he?" Jack demanded. He'd heard Daniel's cries from all the way down in the atrium, and he knew exactly what had happened. Teal'c had been right—Daniel still needed him, and being away from him for so long had triggered the pain again. He needed to get to Daniel immediately, and he didn't give a damn about the treaty or playing nice with aliens. "I said, where is he!" he bellowed, shaking Freyson by the shoulders to get his full, undivided attention. Carter appeared in the corner of his vision, looking frightened and unsure what to do. He ignored her and continued to stare down Freyson, his fingers digging painfully into the man's shoulders.

"Your young friend became ill from the wine," Freyson answered, wringing his hands anxiously. "But do not worry, I have sent him to our health centre."

Jack's blood pressure shot up so high he could feel the vein in his temple throbbing. "I need to see him! Now!" he barked. Carter made a move, as if she wanted to pull him away but was reluctant to overstep her bounds as his 2IC. Jack got the point, though, and he released Freyson with a little shove for good measure. "You have to take me to him."

Freyson straightened his suit jacket and puffed out his chest, trying to regain some of his dignity after being so crudely manhandled. "You are in no position to make demands, Colonel O'Neill. I promise you, Dr. Jackson is in good hands."

"The only hands he needs to be in right now are mine!" Jack snapped, refusing to back down.

Freyson's eyes narrowed as he stared off against Colonel O'Neill in preparation for another round of their shouting match, but then something he saw in O'Neill's eyes gave him pause for thought. With dawning realisation, Freyson smiled and stepped back, having guessed the real reason behind O'Neill's passionate protectiveness.

"Of course, Colonel O'Neill," Freyson said, all smiling and benignant. "Had I known the nature of your relationship with the young doctor before…by all means, follow me!"

Jack, stunned by Freyson's sudden change of heart, was only too willing to overlook the man's insinuation about his relationship with Daniel. Hell, he'd declare his undying love in front of his team and the whole damned Negloman ministry if it meant getting to Daniel any faster.

Freyson led Jack to an alcove hidden behind one of the room's many tall tapestries and they were joined moments later by Carter and Teal'c. The four of them crammed onto a platform that looked like it had been designed to fit one and the entire team glared at Freyson as if daring him to tell any of them to get off.

Freyson took it in stride, though, and simply nodded as he punched in the transit code for the health centre. The trip was almost instantaneous, but in the brief span of time it took to demolecularize and remolecularize, Jack felt as if he'd relived the 70's…but only the bad parts. Jack and Carter swayed precariously for a second or two before getting their bearings—only Teal'c seemed to be immune.

"The effects of transit will quickly wear off," Freyson reassured them, and with an outstretched hand, ushered SG-1 through the health centre's atrium to the main desk.

The lanky young man at the reception desk finished straightening up his papers and looked up at his new visitors. His jaw dropped open in astonishment at the sight of his prestigious guests and he sputtered, "Minister Freyson! No one told me you were coming!" He proceeded to nervously tidy his already impeccably tidy workspace and then stood, wiping moist palms on the front of his tunic.

"Relax, son—this isn't an inspection," said Freyson, kindly. "We're here to visit a patient who arrived not long ago."

The poor kid blanched as if he'd been asked to serve hot dogs at a royal wedding. The only patient who'd arrived recently was the unfortunate young man who'd been carried in screaming and twisting like he was on fire. Surely the minister hadn't meant him?

To buy time, the young receptionist consulted his chart carefully. "Would that be…" he frowned, pretending to have trouble making out the name, "Doctor Jax?"

"Close enough," snapped Jack, eyeing both the receptionist and Freyson to pick up the pace.

"Yes, that's the one," Freyson replied, smoothing the boy's ruffled feathers. It seemed the colonel was every bit as feisty as the young Dr. Jackson—so much more…human…than the other delegation Earth had sent.

The receptionist cleared his throat and addressed Freyson, averting his eyes from the threatening glare of the other man. "They took him to Crit. Ob.," he said.

Freyson thanked him and led the way down one of the mint-green painted hallways that radiated off of the atrium. They walked at a brisk pace, their combined presence causing the centre's employees to scatter before them like frightened sheep.

They soon came upon another, smaller atrium with another, smaller desk where a perky brunette with pale pink lipstick smiled cheerfully at their approach.

"We're here to see Dr. Jackson," Jack said, skipping the pleasantries. "He was brought in a few minutes ago."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," she replied with a somewhat dimmer smile. "Dr. Jax is being restrained in quarantine—no one can go in there without medical clearance."

"Restrained?" Jack asked, leaning menacingly across the desk.

The woman nodded, completely unfazed by Jack's posturing. "He was out of control and screaming—there was no other choice."

"I need to see him. Now." Jack's glare would have been enough to make a Marine pee in his pants, but the woman just shook her head.

"Ours doctors will take very good care of him. We have the best care facility on the continent," she assured him, smiling sweetly at Jack, which only made his face go a deeper shade of red from suppressed rage.

Jack began pacing, tossing frequent threatening glances at Freyson, who was attempting to sway the inimitably cheerful receptionist. Carter and Teal'c wisely stayed out of his way as his pacing became more agitated. Listening to Freyson's jovial chatter with the receptionist was like being tortured with nails scratching across a blackboard. But after several minutes of flattery, bribery and pulling rank, Freyson finally got some information out of the peppy brunette.

With a proud mile, Freyson turned to the others. "He's in room 110," he told them. The colonel was off like a shot, closely followed by the others, and Freyson shouted after them, "but you can't go in there!" With a frustrated sigh, Freyson took off after them down the first hallway to the right, but they had a pretty good head start on him.

Jack ignored the minister's warning and half-jogged down the hallway, slowing only to peer through the glass windows of every door along the way. The hallway veered abruptly ended in a T-junction, but it was a no-brainer on which direction Daniel's room was. A pair of the minister's guards was standing sentry in front of a room half-way down the hall on the left. They were heavily armed, and it looked like they'd been told to expect them.


	14. Chapter 14

* * *

WARNING: This chapter contains sexual content not suitable for people younger than 18 years old. Please do not read it unless you are of age.

* * *

The two guards saw Colonel O'Neill descending upon them like the wrath of God, but to their credit, they held their ground. Despite the colonel's anger and the menacing presence of his team, especially the Jaffa, the guards refused to budge. Only when their minister appeared, huffing and panting to catch his breath, did they move, looking to Freyson for instruction. Freyson could only shrug in response—it was out of his hands, as far as he was concerned.

The taller of the two guards took up a defensive stance and barred Jack from reaching the door. "No one's allowed in there," he stated flatly.

"You see—that was the wrong answer." Jack had had enough with the red tape—Daniel was on the other side of that door, and he was suffering; nothing was going to stop Jack from going in there. "Unless you want to be responsible for an interplanetary incident, I suggest you get out of my way."

Teal'c and Sam backed him up, and together they were enough of a threat to cause the guard to have second thoughts. Once again he looked to Minister Freyson for help.

"Better do as he says, son," Freyson said.

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Jack, Sam and Teal'c were barging past the human barricade and through the door of the Critical Observation room.

A team of white-suited doctors looked up at them in surprise. "Get out!" exclaimed the shortest of the bunch. "This is a clean room!"

"Not any more, it isn't," Jack replied and brushed past him to get to the bed in the centre of the room. He couldn't see Daniel through the forest of masked doctors standing in the way, but the lack of screaming—of any noise, period—coming from Daniel's direction made him anxious.

"Minister Freyson, please!" the short doctor pleaded. "We haven't diagnosed this patient yet! Contamination protocols dictate…"

"He's not contagious," Carter announced, attempting to calm the irate little man.

It seemed to work. The inquisitive green eyes peered at her from over his face mask and he stepped closer to her. "You know what sickness this is?" he asked, blinking up at her.

"Yes, and I'll be more than willing to explain everything if you'll let Colonel O'Neill have a moment alone with Doctor Jackson to administer…treatment."

Jack mentally hugged Carter for running interference. The tension in the room dropped noticeably, and the doctor-forest thinned enough for Jack to get a good look at Daniel for the first time since entering the room.

He'd expected his friend to be unconscious—that at least would explain the silence—but Daniel was awake. His face was transformed into a rictus of pain, the tendons of his neck straining in his attempt to escape the full-body encasement they had put him in. His head was the only part of him that could move, and it thrashed wildly from side to side. But the worst part was the silent screaming. Jack watched, aghast, as Daniel's mouth opened again and again to give voice to his agony, only to have no sound escape his lips.

Jack reached out his hand and stroked Daniel's hair. The thrashing stopped, and a pair of wet blue eyes looked up at him, begging him to take the pain away. A tear streaked down Daniel's face and Jack brushed it away with the pad of his thumb, his heart breaking to see the utter wretchedness the young man had been reduced to in his absence. Daniel's lips formed the word 'Jack', but nothing came out, and Jack felt his anger rising to the surface again.

Jack rounded on the shortest doctor, who seemed to be in charge, and glared at him. "What the hell did you do to him? Get him out of that thing!" he shouted. The doctor jumped as if he'd been jolted with a pain stick and quickly moved to obey the colonel. As the doctor busied himself with unlocking the clear, full-body restraint casing, Daniel once again mouthed Jack's name. "Why's he doing that?" Jack asked. "Why can't he talk?"

The short doctor hesitated, nerves making his fingers slip from the last buckle on the casing. "His screams were disturbing the other patients and would have done damage to his vocal chords, so we, um…paralysed his larynx." The doctor flinched and, anticipating an attack from the hot-headed colonel, he quickly added, "but don't worry—the effects are only temporary."

Jack glowered at him once before returning his full attention to Daniel. As soon as the casing was removed, Daniel began bucking and twisting on the bed, his body involuntarily reacting to the wracking pain.

"Leave!" Jack ordered, his eyes still focused on Daniel. When no one moved, he glanced back at the group of people standing around watching him and barked, "Leave. Now!"

Jack didn't wait to see if anyone was following his orders—he had more important things to worry about. Bending over Daniel, he grabbed the younger man's shoulders to keep him still and locked lips with him. Daniel stilled almost instantly and clutched at Jack, pulling him down onto the bed with him.

With an embarrassed clearing of her throat, Carter tried to draw the attention of Freyson and the straggling doctors away from her two team mates.

Freyson distractedly looked back at her when she cleared her throat a second time. She nodded in the direction of the door, hinting that it was time to leave. Freyson took one long last look at the two men frantically kissing on the bed and then gathered up the stray doctors to lead them out of the Crit. Ob. room.

As he passed Carter on the way out, he leaned in and whispered, "You really must tell me more about your Earth medicines!"

Carter couldn't suppress a grin as she followed the large minister out into the hall where Teal'c had already taken up position guarding the door.

* * *

Daniel had heard the arrival of Jack and Sam, but he couldn't quite bring himself to believe that they were really there until he saw Jack push his way through the clump of Negloman doctors at his bedside. Jack was barking out orders and bullying the people who were supposed to be their newest allies, and Daniel had never been so grateful. 

It seemed to take a lifetime for the medical casing to come away, and then, miracle of miracles, he had Jack in his arms. He clung desperately to him, his mouth seeking out Jack's, drinking in the scent and taste of him, intoxicated by the proximity. But it wasn't enough—not nearly!

Daniel started tugging at Jack's clothes, pulling at fabric in an attempt to reach the skin underneath, all the time refusing to release Jack's mouth from their kiss. The worst of the pain had retreated, but he was still far from okay. His skin still burned, needing to be touched by Jack.

Frustrated with Jack's stubborn clothing, Daniel stopped kissing him long enough to concentrate all his efforts on stripping him down. His hands were shaking, from pain as mush as from anticipation, and if Jack hadn't decided to help him at that moment, he would have gone mad. The long seconds it took for Jack to return the favour and remove Daniel's clothes were almost too much for him to bear. The second they were both gloriously naked, Daniel grabbed Jack's arm and yanked him down on top of him.

Their mouths connected automatically, all previous tension between them a distant memory as their hands roamed over familiar territory. Touching was good, kissing was great, but it still wasn't enough for Daniel. In his need to quell the stubborn remnants of his pain, Daniel boldly reached down between them and wrapped his fingers around Jack's erection.

Jack gasped at the unexpected move, his back arching into the touch. He was already so hard, so lost in Daniel that he knew he wouldn't last long. He tried to get Daniel to slow down, tried to warn him that he was close, but Daniel kept on stroking him, his body pressed tight to Jack's, until Jack couldn't fight it anymore. He shuddered, a voluminous moan trapped in his throat, and came over Daniel's pumping hand.

Jack collapsed on top of Daniel, catching his breath. He was very aware that Daniel was still desperate for release, feeling the younger man rocking his hardness up against him, but he needed a moment to regroup. What he was about to do—what he _had_ to do—was going to be damned difficult under the circumstances. For one thing, they didn't have Fraiser's thoughtful gift of lubricant handy, and for another, Daniel didn't know what he was doing, and it was probably going to hurt like a son of a bitch.

It was a damned good thing he loved the guy, Jack thought. And that's what it all boiled down to in the end—he loved Daniel, as bizarre as that seemed, and he trusted him implicitly. He could do this.

His decision made, Jack carefully rolled off of Daniel. Dark, needy eyes begged him to touch, to do for him what he'd done for Jack. But instead of taking the straining cock in his hand, Jack slowly eased himself down the length of the lithe body beneath him. Keeping his eyes locked on Daniel's the whole time, he straddled him, trapping the other man's long legs between his own.

With a lack of hesitation that surprised both of them, Jack swooped down and swiped his tongue along the underside of Daniel's shaft. The heady scent of Daniel's arousal spurred him on and he did it again, licking a stripe down the silky, heated flesh. Daniel's entire body went into spasm beneath him, and Jack suddenly had a pair of hands gripping at his hair, encouraging him. With Daniel's implied consent, Jack continued, licking and kissing every inch of Daniel's throbbing cock until it was rock hard and weeping at the tip.

This was it, Jack thought—it was now or never. With a twinge of nervousness, Jack adjusted his position over Daniel. Gripping the base of Daniel's glistening shaft, he knelt down over him, lining himself up to be breached.

Daniel tried to jerk away, his eyes wide with comprehension and fear of what Jack was about to do. He wanted desperately to fight him off, and he tried to do just that, but his recent bout with the Amadeus bugs had left him weak and Jack had him at a disadvantage. He couldn't even fight him with words—the Negloman doctors had taken away his best defence when they'd stolen his voice.

"Daniel, hush," Jack cooed at him, struggling to keep control of the situation. "It's okay, Danny—you won't hurt me. We have to do this—it's the only way."

Daniel shook his head and twisted his body, hoping Jack would take the hint and get off him.

"I know you don't want to hurt me—I know you're worried—but I'm okay with this. Honest. Just relax and I'll take care of the rest."

Jack tried again to get into position, but Daniel was being far from cooperative. As he wrestled with the younger man to hold him steady, Jack wondered how he could convince Daniel that it was okay—that he wanted this. It was only when Daniel stopped fighting him that Jack noticed the tears coursing down Daniel's face. Jack's stomach plummeted as he realised what he was doing. He was holding Daniel down, forcing himself on him—hell, he was no better than Hathor or that bitch of a foster mother Daniel had as a kid.

Jack felt like he'd been slapped hard across the face and he practically jumped off the bed in his haste to make up for his behaviour.

"Oh, God! Danny, I'm sorry!" he said. Daniel wasn't looking at him. He'd curled up on himself and turned away from Jack. A touch to the shoulder only made Daniel jerk away. "Shit! Daniel—I'm an idiot, okay? I just thought, after everything we'd already done together, that you were okay with it. I thought you were just worried about me."

Daniel finally turned to face him, his eyes searching out and finding the genuine remorse Jack was offering. With a tentative nod, Daniel reached out a hand, inviting Jack to come back to the bed.

Jack didn't have to be asked twice; climbing onto the bed, he gratefully spooned himself up behind Daniel. He buried his nose in Daniel's hair and simply held him, breathing in his warm scent.

"So…what happened? Why freak out now?" asked Jack, and he realised even before he got 'the look' from Daniel that it was a stupid question. "Right—no voice—I knew that. Okay, how about a straight-forward yes/no question? Are you mad at me?"

Daniel twisted in Jack's arms so he could look at him without straining his neck. It was a fair question, and Daniel studied Jack's face as he thought about it. He should be mad—Jack had given him a good scare—but what mattered most as far as Daniel was concerned was that Jack realised he'd screwed up and clearly felt awful about it.

With a sudden surge of emotion, Daniel brought his lips up to Jack's, kissing him slowly and thoroughly. It was intoxicating, and it left them both reeling.

Jack grinned, "I guess that was a 'no'?"

Daniel blushed—it had only just occurred to him that he could have simply shaken his head, and Jack knew it. Jack must have also noticed that there was far more to that kiss than the simple need for Daniel to douse the pain.

Daniel lifted his eyes to meet Jack's, worried about how his straight, military friend would react, knowing how he felt about him. To his relief, Jack didn't look the least bit angry or upset. In fact, he looked rather amused.

"C'mere," said Jack, his rich brown eyes sparkling and his lips twitching up in a smile.

Daniel's heart stammered in his chest as Jack pulled him in for another kiss. This time the spark between them electrified the whole experience, charging each flick of tongue against tongue with tangible desire.

"Wow," Daniel mouthed when they finally let each other go.

"You can say that again," Jack agreed, getting a blinding smile in return. As Jack's hand obsessively stroked through Daniel's soft hair, he felt like he could happily spend the rest of his life like this. But as much as he was enjoying the moment, they had a job to do. And as his father used to so eloquently put it, it was time to either piss or get off the pot.

"Daniel, I know I went too fast earlier, but you do understand that this little bug of yours isn't finished with us yet, right?" He waited until he got an affirmative nod from Daniel before continuing. "Okay. So the way I see it, we've got a choice here; either we can stay here and finish this right now, or we can go home. It's up to you."

Daniel didn't have to think about it. A hospital bed on an alien planet was not where he wanted to consummate their newly discovered mutual attraction for each other. With a pleading look he knew was capable of melting hearts, Daniel breathed out the word 'home'.


	15. Chapter 15

Warning: This chapter contains sexual content that is suitable for adult audiences only.

A/N: may apologies for the long delay in posting this chapter. Real Life had its claws in me for a while, but I'm back in the game again:)

* * *

The other half of their team was faithfully standing guard in the hallway when Jack and Daniel came out of the Critical Observation room. One of Freyson's guards was there, too, but the rotund Negloman official was nowhere to be seen. 

"Sir?" Carter asked, noticing the way Daniel was clutching the colonel's hand.

"We need to get him home," Jack replied tersely. "Sooner rather than later."

Carter nodded her understanding and took point down the hallway as if she was expecting heavy resistance. Teal'c followed behind the rest of his team paying no mind to the flustered guard trailing after him. The guard, who'd been charged with keeping an eye on the alien visitors during their trip to the hospital, was no doubt unhappy about the idea of facing Freyson should he fail in his duties.

As it turned out, Minister Freyson was at the front desk talking with the jittery receptionist when SG-1 emerged from the bowels of the health centre. "Ah! Colonel O'Neill!" Freyson called out in a loud, jovial voice. "Is Dr. Jackson well now?"

"I'm feeling much better, thank-you, Minister," Daniel answered with a shy duck of his head.

Jack frowned at Daniel, who looked about ready to pass out right there in the lobby. "What Daniel meant to say is that he's no longer at death's door, but he's still far from okay. We need to get him back to Earth as soon as possible."

"But the negotiations…" Freyson started.

"Will have to wait," Jack cut in bluntly. "I'm sorry, Minister, but I need to take Daniel home. Now."

"You would risk putting our tenuous alliance in jeopardy over this?" Freyson asked gravely.

"Yes," Jack answered without hesitation. "If it comes down to a choice between possible trade with your planet or the health and safety of my team, I'll choose my team every time." Jack received a nod of approval from Daniel, which he thought was odd, considering he generally frowned upon his less-than-stellar approach to diplomacy. But what was even odder was Freyson's reaction—the man was grinning from ear to ear; looked happier than a pig in poop.

"Yes! This is much better!" Freyson exclaimed with a booming laugh. "Your team has true spirit, Colonel O'Neill. You speak and act from the heart, as it should be—not like your previous representatives. With you, I feel we can establish a lasting trust that will prove beneficial to both our worlds."

"Well that's…swell," said Jack with feigned enthusiasm. "Really, that's great to hear. But I still need to get Daniel back to the SGC."

Freyson looked at the pale, slumped figure of Daniel Jackson and immediately looked chastened. "Of course," he agreed hastily. "I will have my personal assistant escort both your team and SG-9 back to the Stargate. Just promise me that you and your team will return to continue our talks."

"Freyson, you got yourself a deal," said Jack, giving the other man a hearty thump on the back, which got another wide grin from the Negloman, and as Jack led Daniel towards the transport area, he decided he liked these people.

* * *

It had taken a long time to cut through the usual red tape involved in releasing SG-9 from their confinement, and even more time for them to be brought to the government buildings to be escorted back to the 'gate. If Daniel had known how long it was going to take to get back to the SGC, he probably would have forgone the comforts of home and finished what he'd started with Jack in the hospital. He'd barely been able to fend off the rising pain when he'd been able to hold Jack's hand, but now with SG-9 for an audience, Daniel had no choice but to put some distance between himself and Jack. 

Jack, bless his over-protective heart, kept surreptitiously finding ways to casually touch him. But the brief touches only seemed to inflame the burning prickles that blanketed his body. What he needed—what his entire body was screaming for—was more skin, more touch, more…Jack…and if he didn't stop thinking that way, he'd never make it back to the VIP suite.

Daniel was also aware that SG-9 had noticed Jack's very-hands-on approach in dealing with him, and although they didn't say anything, he knew the rumour mill was going to be running overtime when they got home. The only upside was that SG-9, being a negotiating team, was primarily civilian, with only Lt. Atkins belonging to the Air Force. If it had been SG-2 or one of the Marine teams, things might have turned ugly.

The short boat ride across the river to the Stargate was pure agony, and Daniel was drawing concerned glances from not only SG-9 and the members of his own team, but also from the Negloman crew and other commuters. About halfway across, Jack had apparently reached the end of his tether. Ignoring Daniel's protestations that he was 'fine', Jack squeezed in between him and Teal'c, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"There. That better?" asked Jack. Lt. Akins smirked, but quickly covered it when the colonel scowled at him.

"Jack…" Daniel whispered anxiously, hoping the others wouldn't hear him, "it's not enough. I don't think I can make it."

Jack squeezed his shoulder. "Hang in there; we're almost at the 'gate."

Daniel nodded, but he couldn't help leaning into Jack, nestling into the embrace.

* * *

Jack's stomach tightened—he remembered joking to Daniel about having sex in the Gate Room in front of a bunch of jarheads, and he wondered just how close to that they might actually get. Already, SG-9 was getting an eyeful, and even though Jack knew he would pay for it later, it didn't stop him from blatantly caressing the back of Daniel's neck to help ease the pain. Jack was just grateful that the other SG team had the wherewithal to mind their own business. 

Daniel had all but climbed onto his lap by the end of the short boat ride, and Jack could feel the man shaking with the effort of hiding his pain. Jack wrapped his arm tightly around Daniel's waist to help him out of the boat and down the path towards the Stargate. He even managed to sneak his hand under Daniel's shirt to get some skin contact going, but even so, by the time they arrived at the 'gate, Jack could barely keep Daniel on his feet.

As Carter dialled Earth on the DHD, Jack motioned Teal'c over. "Teal'c, I want you to go through first. Tell Hammond Daniel's sick and we need to be quarantined. Got it?"

Teal'c's frown deepened as he quickly took in Daniel's worsening condition. He gave O'Neill an approving nod as the wormhole whooshed into existence, then jogged past Carter and SG-9 to go through the 'gate first as ordered.

Jack waited until everyone else had gone through, then held the 'gate open a couple of minutes longer before lugging Daniel over the threshold. As they stepped through the 'gate and onto the metal ramp deep in the heart of the SGC, Jack caught the tail end of the flurry of activity his request for quarantine had instigated. Up in the control room, Hammond was ordering the last of the personnel out of the area, while Dr. Fraiser entered the Gate Room. She'd come alone, struggling to steer a gurney past the last of the hastily-retreating soldiers.

As Jack helped Janet get Daniel onto the gurney, he heard Hammond's voice barking at him over the comm. "Colonel, I thought you said you'd taken care of this." Hammond sounded seriously put out, but Jack knew him well enough to know that his brusqueness was due more to concern over Daniel than anger with him.

"That's what _I_ thought," Jack agreed. "Teal'c has a theory about what went wrong, Sir. I'd share it with you, but I really don't think you want to know the details."

Hammond grunted, his frown cutting deep tracks into his forehead. "Will Doctor Jackson be able to make it to the VIP suite without your…assistance?" he asked as tactfully as he could.

"I wouldn't count on it, Sir," Jack answered, his hand clasped tightly to Daniel's arm. Daniel's pinched face was pale and sweating and it was clearly an effort for him just to hold it together.

With a grim nod, Hammond got on the intercom and ordered the immediate evacuation of levels 28 and 22.

The gurney ride to the VIP suite was nothing short of self-inflicted torture. Daniel held tight to Jack's hand and accepted the touches Jack bestowed on his face and shoulders gratefully, but with every passing second he felt his mind slipping towards blind panic. He knew Jack wouldn't fight him if he were to demand more, right there in the elevator, but Daniel wasn't so far gone that he could blithely throw Jack's career out the window for the sake of a few less seconds' discomfort.

As the gurney stuttered over the gap between the elevator and level 22, Daniel actually felt his fragile self-control snap, and he started clawing at Jack in mindless desperation. The gurney, thrown out of control by Daniel's sudden flailing, banged hard against the concrete wall of the corridor and Dr. Fraiser barely jumped out of the way in time to avoid serious injury.

"Hang in there Daniel—we're almost there," said Jack, resisting Daniel's attempts to pull him onto the careening gurney with him.

"Now, Jack!" Daniel howled. He could tell by Jack's shocked expression that he must appear completely deranged, but frankly he didn't care. He needed Jack more than he needed the air he was breathing.

After a heartbeat's hesitation, Jack glanced apologetically at Janet and climbed onto the gurney, and soon Daniel felt the warm press of Jack's body stretching out over his.

"Better?" asked Jack.

Daniel didn't bother with an answer—that would require more time than he could afford to lose—instead, he clutched Jack's head in both hands and roughly brought their lips together. Not waiting for an invitation, Daniel's tongue demanded entrance to Jack's mouth, and permission was instantly granted.

The only indication that Janet Fraiser was still present for the show was the slight slowing of the gurney the moment their lips met. Not a word was said, though, as the doctor showed her utter professionalism and continued to steer them towards the VIP suite at the end of the hall.

* * *

Jack had been mentally preparing himself for this ever since Daniel's symptoms had resurfaced, but no amount of pep-talking or black-ops training could prepare him enough to relax—especially when very little time had been taken in the physical preparation department. Considering the kind of pain Daniel had been suffering over the last few days, however, Jack was hardly about to complain about the relative discomfort of being breached by a novice—even if said novice was currently incapable of taking his time. 

Yes, it hurt. Yes, the thought of what Daniel was doing to him freaked him out on more than one level, but for Daniel's sake he wasn't about to show it. As it was, he knew Daniel was going through his own personal hell over this. And, bless him, he was obviously trying his best to be gentle, despite the haze of pain he must be in.

With Daniel draped over his back, rocking into him with hesitant little strokes, Jack was overcome with an affection for the man that bordered on the sappy. There wasn't another human on the face of this planet (or any other planet, come to that) that Jack would trust enough to do this to him. And with that thought, Jack finally felt himself relax.

It wasn't so bad, once you relaxed, he admitted reluctantly. And according to that book Fraiser had given them, it could be downright amazing if done properly. Maybe, with a little practice…

Jack could feel Daniel's muscles trembling in an effort to hold back, and Jack decided that enough was enough already. "Hey Danny," he grumbled over his shoulder, "get on with it, would ya? I won't break, I promise."

A muffled sob of relief was all he heard from behind him before the hesitant little strokes became less hesitant and a whole lot harder. He grunted at the sudden change of pace and then he saw stars as something deep inside of him exploded with intense pleasure. A few more long, hard strokes later and he was coming harder than he ever had before with Daniel following shortly after.

After a moment's tense silence, he felt Daniel shift and slowly pull out. Jack could almost hear the other man worrying, and when they rolled to face each other on the bed, the look on Daniel's face confirmed it. The guy looked like he was on trial for murder.

"Jack…" Daniel said, his voice hitching slightly.

"Don't," Jack warned. "Don't you dare apologise."

Daniel went tight-lipped on him, the wheels of his brain almost visibly turning behind his expressive blue eyes. But the self-recrimination never came, much to Jack's surprise. Instead, Daniel let out a sad sigh and turned over to face the other way.

"So I guess this means it's over." Daniel's muttered words were spoken so softly that Jack almost missed them.

Jack frowned, confused. "Yes. No more crippling pain and forced confinement in the VIP suite—I can see why you'd be so upset."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful," Daniel replied, not budging a muscle.

Jack sighed and propped himself up on one elbow so he could lean over the other man's shoulder and see his face. "Okay—that's not what I meant, and you know it. Care to tell me what's really on your mind?" His question came out with just the right mix of petulance and playfulness, and Jack was relieved to see Daniel's sombre expression crack a little.

"I think you already know…don't you?" Daniel answered, twisting slightly so he could look at Jack and gauge his response.

"Yeah…I think maybe I do," said Jack, his voice still playful, but now tinged with husky overtones that instantly made Daniel's eyes go dark. Taking that as proof that he was on the right track, Jack leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Daniel's lips.

Daniel's eyes fluttered shut as he deepened the kiss with a soft groan. Definitely a good sign, Jack thought, but they were both too worn out to take things any further, so he slowly pulled away, breaking off the kiss.

Daniel blinked up at him dazedly, his usually brilliant mind struggling to keep up with events. "So…you, uh...?" he asked, his eyebrows rising.

"Oh yeah," Jack answered without hesitation.

"And you're…?" Daniel said, waving his hand between the two of them suggestively.

"If you are," Jack replied diplomatically.

"Oh, I'm…definitely…" Daniel hedged with a nervous clearing of his throat that made Jack smile.

"Good. So then," Jack said, "there's that problem solved. Now, can we get some sleep please?" Daniel's grin sent a rush of warmth all through him, and Jack snuggled up next to him. "Oh…by the way, tell anyone I'm cuddly and you're a dead man."

Daniel just smiled and pulled him in closer.


	16. Chapter 16

* * *

It was hunger that finally drove Jack and Daniel out of the VIP suite later that evening. Well…that and the need to come out from hiding and reassure the others that they were both still alive and kicking.

Jack called Janet in to give them the okay to break quarantine, which she did willingly enough. The only stipulation being that they were under no circumstances allowed to 'gate off-world until they'd undergone a 72 hour trial separation. Jack had gained permission for one last meal together before he had to follow doctor's orders and leave the mountain for the next three days.

As they sat across from each other in the deserted commissary, Jack could tell that Daniel was not looking forward to their forced separation.

"It'll be okay," Jack said between bites of curried chicken, startling Daniel out of his deep thoughts.

"What?" asked Daniel, looking sweetly baffled.

"It's only three days," Jack explained. "And I'll be fifteen minutes away—tops—if you need me."

Daniel smiled wanly back at him and continued picking at his food. Jack dropped a warm hand on top of Daniel's to give him some additional reassurance, and Lou Ferretti chose that moment to enter the commissary.

Ferretti's faltered step and the awkward redirection of his eyes told Jack that his old friend had seen and correctly interpreted the private moment he'd walked in on. "Lou!" Jack greeted the other man casually, trying to defuse the situation quickly.

"Jack…" Ferretti answered cautiously. "I see the quarantine's been lifted."

"Yep," Jack said with a nod. He deliberately kept his hand on Daniel's a moment longer, despite Daniel's obvious discomfort. It was his not-so-subtle way of telling him that he wasn't embarrassed or ashamed while simultaneously challenging Ferretti to make something of it. Not bad mileage out of a single gesture, Jack thought.

The other soldier quickly assessed the situation, weighed the various possible outcomes, and chose to pull up a chair at their table and sit down. The best move, strategically, was apparently to ignore what was none of his business. A smart move, in Jack's opinion. Jack forked another piece of chicken into his mouth as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on.

"Look, Jack…" said Ferretti anxiously.

The use of his first name let Jack know that this conversation was intended to be off the record, which suited him just fine. "Yes, Lou?"

"I just think you should know…" Lou began, then ground to a halt, looking uneasy.

"Spit it out, Lou," Jack prompted.

Ferretti's eyes shifted between the two other men at the table and he cleared his throat. "It's just that…some of the guys, well, they've been saying things."

"Oh?" asked Jack innocently. "What sorts of things?"

Ferretti squirmed a bit before finding the courage to meet his C.O.'s eyes again. "Things about you and Dr. Jackson," he finally admitted. "Naturally I told them that they were crazy—the 2IC of the United States' top military organization wouldn't risk his career over something as trivial as needing to scratch an itch. No offense, Dr. J.," he added in an off-handed way.

"Um…none taken?" said Daniel with a dubious pout on his face.

"And this is what, a friendly threat?" Jack asked menacingly.

"Not a threat, Jack, just a heads up. Frankly I don't give a crap what you guys do in your spare time, but the sharks are circling and they're out for blood, chum." Lou stood, gave Jack a firm, manly pat on the shoulder, and left the commissary.

"Guess he wasn't so hungry after all," Jack commented, returning to his chicken

"Funny—I'm not so hungry now, either," Daniel muttered, laying his fork down and pushing his plate away in one smooth movement.

"Hey—we've got nothing to worry about," said Jack. "Although, Ferretti was right about one thing—if we're gonna make this work, we'll have to be _a lot_ more…discrete."

The playful sparkle in Jack's eyes only seemed to confound Daniel, who couldn't understand Jack's cavalier attitude. But, then, Jack had the advantage of knowing the military mind and how to work the system.

"Jack, maybe this…maybe _we're_…not such a good idea right now," Daniel said, quietly.

"You worry too much," Jack said through a mouthful of mashed potato. "As Ferretti pointed out, I'm second in command around here, and in case you haven't noticed by now, I have the reputation of being somewhat of a hard-ass. There isn't an SF or Marine on base that doesn't sweat bullets when I dress them down.

"This will all blow over. And in the meantime, we just have to be extra careful."

Daniel nodded, because that was what Jack expected him to do, but it was clear he wasn't anywhere near convinced that this would all simply 'blow over'.

They finished their meal together in silence, Jack respecting Daniel's need to brood. But as Jack scraped his chair back to get up from the table, Daniel suddenly shot out his hand and grabbed him by the arm.

"Do you have to leave right now?" he asked, his blue eyes wide, blinking up at him in a shamelessly manipulative way.

Jack almost caved. "The sooner I leave, the sooner I can come back and this will all be behind us," he reasoned. "Oh, don't do that!"

"Do what?" Daniel asked, the very picture of innocence.

"That thing with your eyes, and the pout."

"I don't pout," Daniel said with a pout.

"Oh please! You're pouting right now!"

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too, infinity!"

Daniel finally cracked at that, and the tiniest hint of a smile surfaced to grace his lips. "That's cheating, you know."

"There are rules?" asked Jack.

"Just…go," Daniel answered with a half-snorted laugh. "I'll see you in a few days."

Jack gave him a quick, not-so-manly pat on the shoulder and then he was gone.

* * *

Jack had been so sure that time had slowed down that he'd actually called Carter to find out if such a thing was possible. Big mistake—if he'd thought time was creeping by before, spending fifteen minutes listening to Carter theorize about quantum physics over the phone was almost enough to make time come to a stop altogether.

But finally it was over. Three excruciatingly long days had passed without incident, and SG-1 had at last been cleared by Dr. Fraiser to resume active duty. Jack had violated practically every traffic law in his haste to return to the mountain. He found that he couldn't get back to Daniel fast enough. He had it bad. Big time.

Sure, he'd talked to Daniel on the phone a few times over the last few days, but very little of what he really wanted to say could be said over phone lines that were undoubtedly being tapped by numerous agencies. Daniel had sounded off, somehow, like he was being overly chipper, and he could only assume that Daniel was no more comfortable talking over the phone than he was.

Jack burst into the commissary, his eyes alighting immediately on the floppy-haired archaeologist he'd come to love. "Danny me boy!" he called out in a gratingly bad Irish accent.

Daniel's head snapped up from his breakfast, and his wasn't the only one—every eye in the busy commissary had turned towards Jack. There was a palpable silence that lasted a few heartbeats, but as Jack headed over to Daniel's table the usual chatter started up again, and Jack quickly forgot about it.

"So…what'd I miss?" Jack asked Daniel, trying to sound nonchalant as his eyes hungrily roamed over the other man.

"Nothing much," Daniel answered, rubbing the back of his neck. It didn't take a genius to see how tense the younger man was.

"What's with you?" Jack groused, annoyed that the mood had been dampened, the party pooped upon.

"Apart from the not-so-subtle death threats on a daily basis? Nothing—why do you ask?"

"No need to get snippy," said Jack. He took a moment to scan the room and noted how many people quickly averted their gaze when he looked their way. "So…I take it the rumours have spread?"

Daniel sniffed at the gross understatement. "I'm a pariah, Jack! I mean, it's not like I was ever all that popular with the military types here, but now even the scientists are going out of their way to avoid me. Apparently it's not in their best interest to be seen in my company."

"And the death threats?" asked Jack, adding the air quotes with his fingers.

"Oh, they're real," Daniel answered. "I've been getting e-mails, and this morning I found a naked Ken doll hanging from a noose in my locker. Very mature."

Jack's eyes narrowed to slits and he once more scanned the room, as if the guilty party might jump up and confess under his scrutiny. "Any idea who it is?" he asked.

"You mean, they," Daniel stated with emphasis on 'they'. He hid his eyes behind a curtain of bangs to avoid looking directly at Jack. "I'll be honest with you, Jack—I feel a bit like a piñata in a room full of caffeinated kids with bats."

"I'm sure it's not that bad. Give it a week—or less, if we have some weird alien encounter on base—and I guarantee this will all be water under the bridge, yesterday's news, gone with the wind."

"Yeah, well, I hope you're right," Daniel mumbled. Jack was about to offer the usual platitudes when he spotted Carter entering the commissary.

"Sir! Glad to see you're back," said Carter as she made her way through the maze of tables. When she reached them, she didn't sit down. Instead, she hovered self-consciously beside their table, staring at her clasped hands.

"Okay, I'll bite," said Jack. "What's up, Carter?"

Carter looked a bit sheepish before she finally came out with it. "Sir, I'd like to return to PIK 260."

Jack could actually feel his blood pressure rising at the suggestion. "Are you _nuts_?" he barked, once again drawing the attention of everyone in the commissary. "After everything we just went through, you wanna go _back_ there?"

"Hear me out, Sir," she said smoothly, seemingly having anticipated his reaction. "Daniel's antechamber has been thoroughly swept—there's nothing in there now that could possible pose a threat. And the potential weapons and technology just sitting there waiting…" she trailed off enticingly.

"She's right, Jack," Daniel piped in, his eyes lighting up with that all-too-familiar glow. "We have no idea the kinds of things we might find to help us in our fight against the Goa'uld."

"Et tu, Bruté?" Jack said with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"Jack…" Daniel had turned his name into a plead that bordered on whining. To make things worse, he had two sets of baby blue eyes batting at him.

Jack groaned under their combined assault. "Fine. I'll talk to Hammond," he agreed petulantly. "But I don't want to hear any complaining if he says no."

Daniel and Sam looked at each other with matching smiles. Hammond was an even easier sell than Jack, and they knew it.

* * *

The next morning Casey and Griff met early in the men's locker room. They'd received word last night that they were to accompany SG-1 to PIK 260 again. This was a private meeting—just the two of them—before the official briefing at 0800 hours. This was a meeting that no one, not even their C.O. Ferretti, knew about. It was a meeting to decide what should be done about the cancer that was eating away at the very foundation of the SGC. It was a meeting to decide what should be done about Daniel Jackson. 


	17. Chapter 17

* * *

That first morning on PIK 260 was disturbingly pleasant. Daniel had spent the last three days in Cheyenne Mountain living under a suffocating blanket of suspicion and barely-concealed animosity. Maybe the members of SG-2 were above the kind of homophobia shared by the bulk of the SGC's military personnel, or maybe it was Jack's presence that was making the difference, but Daniel had felt a tenuous relief since stepping through the 'gate early that morning. Ferretti, Casey, Griff, and Pierce were being their usual, obnoxious selves, telling off-colour jokes and laughing as they trekked through the woods to the base camp they'd established on their first trip to the planet.

As they set up their tents, Daniel relaxed into the now-familiar routine and listened with half an ear to Jack and Teal'c's conversation.

"No, no, no—_I'm _Homer," Jack was saying.

"I believe General Hammond more closely resembles the character of Homer Simpson, O'Neill," Teal'c stated with conviction.

"It's not a question of appearances," Jack argued, "it's a personality thing."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "By that reasoning Daniel Jackson should be Lisa Simpson, not Bart Simpson."

"Daniel can't be Lisa."

"Why can he not?"

"Well, for one thing, he's a guy, and for another thing, Carter is Lisa."

"Your system is flawed, O'Neill," Teal'c said authoritatively. "Captain Carter's Star Wars analogy is clearly superior."

Daniel shook his head with a smile as the argument raged on. He would have been happy to listen to the two of them bickering all day, but he had chores to do. Keeping within earshot, as Jack had told him countless times to do, he followed Sam's lead and headed into the forest to gather kindling for the evening's fire. It wasn't that they really needed a fire—the planet was almost as warm at night as it was during the day, and their MREs didn't require that they build one—but there was something about having a fire that made sleeping off-world seem less…alien. The familiar sound of logs crackling and popping in the red-burning glow of the flames helped negate the strangeness of camping out under an unfamiliar canopy of stars and a sky dotted with multiple moons.

Daniel was just bending to gather up his pile of kindling when he heard a man's voice behind him.

"You're a dead man, Jackson."

He dropped the wood and spun around, but whoever had been there had vanished into the dense foliage leaving only swaying branches as proof he was ever there. Daniel's heart was thudding almost painfully in his chest. It was ridiculous; he'd faced Goa'uld, been beaten, tortured—hell, he'd even been killed!—so why did the empty threats of a bunch of unenlightened jarheads scare him so much?

Daniel steeled himself, gathered up the kindling he'd dropped and stomped back to camp. He'd be damned if he was going to cave in to his fear—he'd already let the situation get out of hand by not doing something about it sooner. He barely stopped long enough at his team's campsite to drop the wood onto the pile of kindling Sam had already collected before ploughing determinedly through the forest towards SG-2's camp.

He heard Jack and Teal'c following behind him, heard Jack calling his name, but he didn't slow down. If he stopped now, he might lose the courage to go through with it. He burst into the clearing where SG-2 had set up their tents and found Griff and Casey bent double, laughing themselves silly. He stalked up to them, his hands balled into fists, his jaw clenched so tight the muscles ached.

The two airmen didn't notice him until he was right in front of them. And when they saw him, it only made them laugh all the harder. Jack and Teal'c pushed through the barrier of trees a moment later and suddenly the two soldiers didn't seem to find the situation so funny.

"Just what the hell is going on here?" Jack demanded before Daniel could get a word out.

Casey quickly schooled his features into a respectful expression to answer his superior officer. "Nothing, Sir. Just having some fun."

"Daniel?" Jack asked, knowing there was more to it than Casey would have him believe.

Daniel's face heated up. He was still angry, still battling a fear that had dogged him since his school days, but now, on top of it all, he had the embarrassment of having been 'rescued' by Jack. Again.

"It's nothing, Jack," he said, doing his best to keep his voice steady against the surge of emotions pressing to get out. He gave Jack a look that warned not to press the matter further, and thankfully Jack took the hint and let it drop.

As they turned to leave, Griff mumbled, "Fucking queer," just loud enough for Daniel to hear.

Daniel paused, wanting more than anything to turn back around and tear a strip off the guy, but with Jack and Teal'c a mere few feet away, he knew it would come off as false bravado. So he kept walking, doing his best to ignore the snickering at his back.

When they reached their camp, Jack wheeled around so fast that Daniel nearly ran right into him.

"Alright—care to tell me what that was really all about?" asked Jack, his arms crossed sternly across his chest. "And don't tell me it was 'nothing'. The only time I've ever seen you _that_ pissed off you had a Goa'uld pointing a weapon at your head."

"I can handle it, Jack," Daniel said, stubbornly crossing his arms in a mirror of Jack's stance.

"And what is it, exactly, that you can handle?" Jack was not backing down, his gaze remaining steady and intense.

Daniel's eyes blazed in answer to Jack's unspoken challenge. "You wouldn't understand."

That was the wrong thing to say. Jack's gaze hardened into a glare. "Try me."

"Fine. You want to talk about this now?" Daniel asked, his arms gesticulating wildly, his eyes shining, his face reddening. He knew he was bordering on a tantrum, but sometimes Jack pushed all the wrong buttons. "You want to have this discussion here? In front of Teal'c and Sam?"

Carter had just entered the little clearing with an armful of wood and froze, staring at the odd tableau before her with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity.

"If it's something that could affect the mission, then yes, I think they should hear it, too," said Jack, lifting up on his toes as if the added height might tip the argument in his favour.

Daniel refused to pander to the obvious posturing and he, too, rose up on the balls of his feet so they were once again eye to eye. "If you really must know, it's your Air Force friends, Jack." The remark was punctuated with a finger jab to the colonel's chest. "Apparently they're taking the rumours about us very seriously."

Jack took a step back, too busy contemplating what Daniel had said to realise he'd been the first to blink in their little argument. "Griff?" Jack asked, guessing the most likely culprit.

Daniel nodded. "Casey too, probably," he muttered.

"Probably?" asked Jack, his brows rising.

"I was alone in the woods and I heard a voice, but I didn't get a look at who it was," Daniel admitted.

Jack cursed under his breath and shook his head in defeat. Without firm proof, they had nothing. They both knew it.

"I was going over there to confront them about it when you showed up. You saw them—you know as well as I do that they're the ones behind the death threats."

Jack's jaw set in a firm scowl. "I'll handle it," he promised grimly.

Teal'c, who looked about ready to dismember the next person he came across, nodded in agreement. "They will pay most grievously for their behaviour."

"No!" Daniel half-shouted with a little jump. "That's exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Sorry…not following," Jack replied sarcastically. "Are you saying you _want_ to let them get away with it?"

"No, Jack," Daniel answered, his eyes closing as he drew on his inner reserves of patience and tried to calm down. "What I'm saying is that this is my fight. It's been my fight from the beginning."

Jack looked like he wanted to shake him, but instead he started pacing. "Goddamn it, Daniel! When will you get it through that messed-up genius skull of yours that you're a part of a _team_? We look after each other. It's what we do."

"I know that, Jack. I do," said Daniel earnestly. "But what you don't seem to understand is that, as much as I'm a part of SG-1, I'm not a part of the SGC—not really. I'm an anomaly—too entrenched with the military to fit in with the civilians and too much of a science geek to be taken seriously by the military. And now, with this?" Daniel shot an arm out, waving it in the direction of SG-2's camp, "If I don't stand up for myself…if I can't fight my own battle on this one, then I might as well paint a bull's eye on my back and call it a day!"

Jack had stopped pacing, and Daniel realized he had the undivided attention of his entire team. He shifted uneasily from foot to foot and re-crossed his arms, hugging himself in a way that always made him feel less exposed.

"You don't have to prove yourself, Daniel," said Sam, coming up to stand between Jack and Teal'c, creating a unified front. "You've done more for the SGC than anyone on the planet, and we all know it. If it weren't for you, the population of Earth would have been killed or enslaved by Apophis."

Daniel sighed, feeling the weight of his friends' concern settling squarely on his shoulders, and he slumped down to sit on the nearest log. "Look…I appreciate the pep talk, but it doesn't change anything. I could single-handedly save the Earth a hundred times over and they'd still see me as a bumbling geek and a pervert who's likely to get them killed in the field."

Jack visibly bristled, but Daniel could see by the look in his eyes that he'd conceded the point. Jack grumbled deep in his throat as if he was fighting and losing an argument in his head. "Okay. You wanna handle this? I won't stand in your way. Just…take it easy on them—remember, they're our guys, not system lords. We need enough pieces left over to identify the remains."

Daniel peered up at him with a hint of a smile. "Thank-you, Jack."

Jack waved away the gratitude. "Just promise me you'll be smart about it. If things go south, you call for backup. That's what we're here for. Got it?"

"Got it," Daniel agreed, his eyes darting away from Jack's when their joined gaze began heating up pleasantly.

* * *

That night, Daniel shared a tent with Sam. It was the first time they'd changed their off-world sleeping arrangements since they'd started going through the 'gate together as a team, and Daniel was having a hard time falling asleep. He missed Jack. Even in the pitch blackness of the tent, he'd had a palpable presence that was soothing. Plus, they hadn't had a chance to spend any time together since the Amadeus effect had worn off, and he needed to get him alone for a while to talk…to touch.

The truth was, he wanted Jack in a way that was new and terrifying for him. He wanted everything with Jack, and as he lay awake, blinking back the oppressive darkness and listening to intermittent rustling of Sam's sleeping bag, he began to imagine what kind of a life the two of them could have together. God knew it would be an uphill battle to keep their relationship off the RADAR, but the benefits… Daniel grinned. Never before had he anticipated being with somebody the way he did with Jack.

Next to him, the rustling grew louder. "Daniel, are you awake?" Carter's whispered question barely registered above the sound of the wind snapping at the canvas of their tent.

"Yeah, I'm awake," Daniel whispered back. "Can't sleep?"

"Just thinking…"

Daniel waited for the rest of it, but when it didn't come, he prompted, "About what?"

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" she asked bluntly. "I mean—it wasn't just the organisms in your blood; not by the end."

Daniel hesitated. He didn't know how much of the truth Jack wanted to share with the rest of the team, but he trusted Sam with his life…he could trust her with their secret. "Yes," he answered sincerely.

There was another pause, then, "That's good. I mean…I'm happy for you. I just wanted you to know that."

"Thanks, Sam," Daniel said, and even he could hear the smile in his voice. "That means a lot."

"Just be careful, okay?"

"Always."

There was more rustling in the dark as Sam turned over. "Goodnight, Daniel"

"'Night, Sam."

It was strange, but Daniel felt a weight lift off his shoulders that he hadn't even realised was there. As the last vestiges of wakefulness gave in to the pull of sleep, Daniel thought how lucky he was to be a part of this team. Even the dull fear of confronting Griff tomorrow couldn't taint the feeling of peace that had come over him, knowing he had family to look out for him.


	18. Chapter 18

* * *

Leaving Casey and Pierce at base camp, SG-1 along with Ferretti and Griff made the day-long hike to the Goa'uld trading post. Unlike the last time they'd made the trip, there was no small talk, and everyone could feel the tension growing as the day wore on.

Jack noticed the way Ferretti kept throwing questioning glances his way, but Jack kept his mouth shut. If Daniel wanted to handle this his way, then he'd keep out of it as promised. Even though it was slowly killing him to see Daniel so out of sorts.

That didn't mean he wasn't going to keep an eye on Daniel, just that he was going to have to do it in such a way that Daniel wouldn't notice. He knew the archaeologist's uncharacteristic silence was what had Ferretti on edge, and if he were to pry into the matter and mess up Daniel's plans, then what was Jack to do? He was tempted to subtly prod Ferretti into doing just that, but one look at Griff, smugly plodding along in the belief that he'd cowed the meek little civilian…Jack smiled dangerously—the man didn't stand a chance against Daniel. Griff would be torn to shreds with words alone, and if it came to a physical confrontation, he'd be in for a real surprise. Daniel may look scrawny, but under those baggy BDUs and floppy hair was a burgeoning soldier. He may not be as strong as Griff, but he was a hell of a lot smarter, and in a fight, brains often won out over brawn. Jack only hoped he'd have a front row seat for the action when the time came.

They reached the temple a good hour before dusk and quickly set up camp. Daniel was pacing around, casting longing looks at the temple, looking for all the world like a puppy begging to go for a walk. Jack decided to throw him a bone.

"Daniel, would you settle down? You'll have a chance to go back in there first thing in the morning."

"Jack…"

"Not a chance, Daniel. We've been hiking for eight hours straight. I plan on pulling up a log, sitting by the fire with a delicious MRE, and then collapsing in exhaustion until the sun comes up."

"You don't have to come with me," Daniel argued, and yes, there was definitely a hint of whine there. "It's been cleared; you know it's safe."

Jack could tell this was a performance that wasn't intended for him, and he decided to play along and see where it was going. "Well you're not going in there alone—you know the rules. And I'm not going anywhere tonight."

"Fine," said Daniel, a fiery spark glinting behind his round lenses. "If you won't go, maybe Ferretti or Griff will go."

Jack caught Griff straightening up at the mention of his name, and it was like watching a shark scenting blood in the water. The soldier got to his feet and approached.

"I'll go with Dr. Jackson," he volunteered. The look on his face was all innocence, and it made Jack want to pound his nose flat. But this was Daniel's show, he reminded himself.

"Thank-you," Daniel replied graciously and then turned expectantly to Jack.

Jack sighed theatrically. "Fine—but I want you back here in two hours, no later. And so help me, if you make me come in there after you, I'll send Carter in there tomorrow and you can stay out here and help guard the tents. Got it?" Daniel did a good job of moping, but Jack could see the playfulness in his eyes when he looked at him.

"Two hours. Promise," said Daniel. He picked up his flashlight and headed for the temple entrance with Griff following close behind. As Jack watched them fade into the deep shadows, his mind obligingly pictured the many ways Daniel could end up getting hurt in there. But he wasn't getting involved. Nope. He'd made a promise.

* * *

To Daniel's surprise, Griff stayed silent until they reached the small antechamber the Goa'uld had used to store their most valued goods. Daniel had peeked inside, lighting his work lantern, and was relieved to see that everything was pretty much as he'd left it. He'd feared the hazmat team would trash the place looking for the cause of his mysterious ailment.

Griff knocked past him and entered the room, grabbing up a crystal globe and tossing it between his hands like a baseball. "So…this is where you tell me that I'm wrong about you and you ask if we can be friends. Right?" The crystal tossing was becoming more pronounced, as if Griff thought it made him look more menacing. Daniel had to fight to keep a straight face. He was so transparent.

"No," Daniel answered, evenly. "This is where I tell you that if you know what's good for you you'll keep out of my business. I can pretty much guarantee that we'll never be friends, but that doesn't mean we have to be enemies."

Griff snorted. "You think I don't know what you are? You're a cancer, eating away at the SGC. You've been warned; get out now before we make an example of you."

Daniel couldn't hold back his laugh this time. "Please—if anything happened to me do you really think you'd get away with it? I don't know what you 'think' you know about me, but there's a mountain full of people who know a lot more about me than you do. They know that I was the one who opened the Stargate. They know that I put my life on the line over and over again for my team and for Earth, and they know that I do it all because my _wife_ is out there, somewhere, and I won't rest until I get her back. So whatever tawdry scenario you've cooked up in that rigid, extremist military brain of yours had better be put to rest before it blows up in your face."

Griff's face grew stormy and he threw himself at Daniel without warning, arms outstretched like he was going to strangle him. Daniel dodged at the last second, and got an elbow in the eye as the soldier stumbled past. With a furious grunt, Griff spun around and tackled Daniel to the floor. They rolled together, banging hard up against the metal legs of the shelving units, both of them scrambling to get the upper hand. Daniel knew better than to allow himself to get pinned underneath his opponent, and Jack had shown him a trick or two—things that Daniel had bemoaned as underhanded at the time, but was now more than happy to put to use. A well-timed knee to Griff's groin followed by a sharp elbow jab to the kidney bought him enough time to struggle free and make a break for the corridor.

He was one step over the threshold when Griff grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head back. Harsh, panting breaths steamed the back of his neck and Daniel felt a cold, metal blade poke him just below the ear. Daniel froze, his hands splayed out on either side of the entryway to hold him steady. Griff was obviously more unstable than he'd thought, and any sudden move now could end disastrously.

"This is not a joke, Doctor. There are those of us at the SGC who would rather go to jail than see the likes of you corrupting the military. Now come away from the door," Griff huffed in his ear, digging the knife into Daniel's flesh with enough pressure to draw out a thick drop of blood, which rolled heavily down his neck to pool at his collar.

Daniel knew what Griff was trying to do. A slit throat was pretty hard to pass off as an accident, and despite his bluster, he doubted Griff was truly willing to sacrifice his career, let alone face jail time, for committing murder. Daniel's hands grasped the edges of the doorway more firmly, feeling along with his fingers for better places to grip onto. As his fingers roamed the carved glyphs along the rim of the entrance, he came across what he thought was a loose piece of stone. It rolled beneath his right index finger for a second before clicking into place in a hidden groove.

There was an intense rumbling that reverberated up from the floor and pulsed through Daniel's bones. A hoarse shout, muffled by the deafening roar of grinding stone, came from behind him, and suddenly Griff was gone. Daniel twisted around to find that the floor on the other side of the entrance had retracted, leaving a gaping hole into which Griff had fallen.

Daniel couldn't see the man in the dark pit, but he could hear his harsh breathing, and knew he was in pain. He fumbled for his flashlight and clicked it on, shining it into the five foot square hole in the floor. Griff was about ten feet down, surrounded by the bones of past victims the ancient security device had trapped down there. Daniel scanned the man carefully, trying to see what had Griff wheezing in pain, and it didn't take long to find the jagged piece of bone protruding from the other man's hip. Daniel didn't know a lot about biology, but he knew there were some pretty major arteries down there, and he didn't want Griff bleeding out, despite what he'd tried to do to him.

"Don't move," Daniel called down to him. He was about to leave and bring back the others to help get Griff out, but as soon as he moved his finger from the trapdoor trigger, the floor started sliding back into place. He could see the raw panic in Griff's eyes, begging him not to leave him like that, alone in a dark sealed pit with the bones of the long-dead. Daniel sized up the situation, and he knew that Griff had done so already. If Daniel were to leave, the floor would slide back into place, effectively burying Griff alive. Daniel doubted anyone would be able to hear the man's screams for help, and it would be frighteningly easy to simply claim that Griff had mysteriously disappeared. The search teams would find him eventually, but unless Daniel pointed them in the right direction, chances are he'd be long dead before they figured out how to open the trapdoor. For a moment Daniel actually toyed with the idea, until it slammed home that it was a human life he was dealing with, no matter how repugnant he found the other man.

"Throw me your knife," Daniel said, getting a worried look in response. Daniel sighed. "If I was going to kill you, I wouldn't need the knife to do it. Now toss it up."

Griff patted the ground around him until he found the hilt of the knife that had fallen out of his hand when he'd landed in the pit. From his awkward position, lying on the dirt floor, Griff careful took aim and lofted the weapon towards Daniel.

Daniel picked up the knife with a deep frown, his lips pursing at the thought that he was about to save Griff's life with the very weapon he'd just tried to kill him with. It was a short blade with a lightweight hilt, perfect for close-range combat, and perfect for what Daniel had in mind as well. The tip was thin enough to wedge in-between the trigger stone and the groove it was nestled in. With the knife keeping the stone in place, Daniel was able to take his finger away, freeing up both hands to do what he had to do next.

He tapped his radio urgently. "Jack! We could use some help down here. There's been an accident," he said into the radio. He ignored Jack's 'Damn it Daniel, I told you not to touch anything' rant and carefully lowered himself over the lip of the pit. Hanging by his fingertips, he allowed himself to fall the last few feet, landing with the grace of a cat onto the dirt floor below.

Griff blinked up at him like he'd gone insane, and maybe he was right—jumping into a pit that could seal itself shut at any moment with a man who'd nearly murdered him, probably wasn't the sanest thing he'd ever done. But Griff was bleeding badly, and he wasn't about to just stand there and let him die when there was something he could do to save him.

"Hold this," he said, pulling his flashlight out of his pocket where he'd put it for safe keeping. "Point it at your wound and hold it there." He kept his voice commanding, if not comforting, and the soldier seemed to respond, doing as he was told without comment.

Cursing himself for not thinking to take along a med kit, Daniel removed his shirt. He set about tearing it into long, thin strips. It might not be overly hygienic, but right now it was better than nothing, and they needed a quick fix to stop the bleeding. As he was binding the wound with the makeshift bandages, Griff broke the uneasy silence that had descended between them.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, his voice hitching in discomfort as Daniel lifted his leg to wrap the linen strips around his injury. "You could have left me here to die. Why didn't you."

Shaking his head sadly, Daniel answered. "See, if you knew me, you'd know that I could never do that. Whatever else has happened here, you're not the enemy. Not really. There are things in this galaxy that are truly evil—creatures that treat others with no regard for the value of a life. The way I see it, every time we turn against each other, we become no better than them. And if we're no better than them, what are we fighting to protect?"

Daniel continued working in silence, Griff having fallen into a deep contemplation that Daniel almost felt as a physical presence in the pit with them. The young marine had a lot to think about, and Daniel could only hope that he'd take some of what he'd said to heart.

The bandage was in place and Daniel was just about to try and get Griff onto his feet when the cavalry arrived in the form of Colonel O'Neill, Teal'c and Ferretti. Daniel heard their approach and warned them to watch their step before they all stumbled into the pit with them.

It took only a few minutes to haul the injured marine out of the pit and even less time to get Daniel out. Daniel could feel Jack's eyes carefully checking him over for injuries, and upon finding none, he ruffled Daniel's hair with an impish smile.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack, Daniel," said Jack as they hefted Griff to his feet. "Next time you're not going anywhere near this place without me, you hear?"

Daniel half-snorted in reply. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not the wounded party here," he said, returning Jack's impish smile.

"Yeah…about that," Jack said. "What the hell happened?"

Griff glanced at Daniel in alarm as Teal'c and Ferretti took their places on either side of him to help him walk. Daniel kept his expression neutral and calmly stated, "We were on our way out of the antechamber and I tripped, accidentally triggering the booby trap in the floor. It was just a freak accident."

Daniel could tell that Jack wanted to hear the whole story, but for now, it seemed to be enough for him to know that Daniel had come out the clear victor, and he let the matter drop. Griff, too, seemed relieved, and judging by the occasional, grateful glance in his direction, Daniel guessed that he wouldn't be having any more problems with the marines once they got home.


	19. Epilogue

* * *

It had been three days since SG-1 had sent Griff back through the 'gate to the SGC for medical attention. Casey had accompanied him, and the moment the wormhole closed behind them the tension they'd all been feeling scattered to the wind. Daniel and Carter had made a significant dent in cataloguing the remaining doo-dads and gizmos left by the Goa'uld, and Jack had managed to squeeze the story of what happened in the antechamber out of Daniel without having to resort to torture.

Daniel thought it was strange that he was reluctant to leave the temple behind, despite what had happened to him there. Or, maybe that was precisely _why_ he was reluctant to leave. Because, despite the pain and humiliation he had suffered after encountering that odd, gold-speckled statue, Daniel and Jack would never have become 'Daniel and Jack' if it hadn't been for the temple.

It was still difficult for him, sometimes, to believe that Jack wanted to be with him, and even harder to believe that he desperately wanted to be with Jack in return. He'd long since resigned himself to the fact that he would never be able to have a real relationship with anyone—not even the woman he married—so this latest development between him and Jack was a real revelation. And he couldn't wait to get back home so they could have some private time together. His skin ached to feel the other man's touch, but it was a good ache—one he would suffer gladly for the rest of his life, if he should be so lucky.

As night fell on their last day off-world, Daniel sat across the fire from Jack and Sam, Teal'c sitting next to him, providing a welcome barrier to the slightly chilled evening wind. It was peaceful and relaxed with just the four of them and no immediate threats hanging over their heads. Daniel didn't think he'd ever been happier.

Jack cleared his throat, squinting into the light of the fire, and Daniel knew he was about to say something that would ruin the magic of the moment. "So…" Jack said, his eyebrows knitting together as he looked around at his team. "I guess it's back to business as usual tomorrow, eh?"

Daniel's heart lurched and he thought he might start choking. Teal'c gave him a helping pat on his back as he blinked away the sudden moisture in his eyes. This was exactly what Daniel had feared might happen, but despite his attempts to prepare himself for the worst it still felt like a slap in the face. He was so shocked he almost missed what Jack said next.

"You know…I don't think we should even wait until tomorrow," Jack was saying, pointedly not looking Daniel's way. "I don't care about rumours and gossip—Daniel and I have _always_ shared a tent off-world, and there's no reason for that to change just because we're together now. I mean, it's not like we're going to go at it like teenagers the second we're alone together—at least, not when we're on missions—so why should we do things any differently than we did before?"

Daniel was aware that his mouth was hanging open in an undignified way, but he couldn't help it; Jack had well and truly outed them to the rest of the team, subtlety be damned! Across from him, Sam had flushed a hot pink and was staring pointedly at the ground in front of her…but there was a hint of a smile on her face, which he found reassuring. Looking up at the hulking Jaffa next to him, Daniel was surprised to see a smug, satisfied smile on the man's face.

"I agree, Colonel O'Neill," said Teal'c, his smooth tones acting like a soothing balm over the jagged wound Jack had just inflicted on their peaceful evening. "There is no need for anything to change now that you and Daniel Jackson are one."

All eyes turned on Captain Carter, waiting for the last of their team mates to voice her opinion and put the matter to rest. Her large blue eyes lifted from the spot on the ground they had fixed on and she looked directly at Daniel. "Absolutely," she said, her smile tickling at her face. "Business as usual."

Jack gave a stupendously dramatic yawn and stretch and got to his feet. "That said, I think it's bedtime. Carter, you've got first watch. Daniel…?"

Daniel looked up in confusion, waiting for the rest of the question to come out before he realised it wasn't a question—it was an invitation. Blushing hotly, Daniel ducked his head and got up, brushing the dirt from his pants and avoiding everyone's eyes. "Yeah…long hike tomorrow," he said. "I think I'll call it a night, too." Okay, he wasn't being so subtle, himself, Daniel admitted as he followed Jack into his tent.

As soon as he'd zipped the tent shut and turned around in the cramped space he found himself in Jack's arms, a hot and needy mouth pressed to his, demanding entrance. Daniel groaned softly and let Jack in, luxuriating in the silky sweep of the other man's tongue against his own. Strong fingers splayed in his hair, mussing it, stroking it, and Daniel's breath hitched in his throat.

Jack's lips abandoned Daniel's and placed a gentle kiss on the tip of his nose. They rested together, foreheads touching, as heat and need boiled up between them. "I saw the look on your face tonight," Jack muttered. "You thought I was ending this, didn't you?"

Daniel's throat was too tight with emotion to answer, so he simply nodded against Jack's forehead, moving both their heads with the movement.

"I would never toy with you that way," Jack said with a touch of hurt in his voice. "I know people have hurt you before, Daniel, and I would do anything to be able to go back into your past and change that. But believe me when I say that I will never be one of those people."

Daniel tried to pull back, feeling uncomfortable with so much raw emotion on display, but Jack's hands held him in place, their faces inches apart.

"Look at me, Daniel," Jack demanded, his eyes burning into him with their need to convey his earnestness. "You've proven that you can defend yourself; that you can stand alone and fight back, and that's good. That's great, even. But you're not alone anymore. You've got me, now, and I've got you. That's how this works. I need you like I need air to breathe, and I'm not going anywhere. You got that? I'm not going _anywhere_, Daniel. I _love_ you."

Daniel felt a molten tear escape and roll down his cheek, pooling against Jack's thumb where it cupped his jaw. The bottled-up air in his lungs burned to get out, and it finally did come out it was in a sobbing gasp. He crumpled gracelessly to his knees on the carpet of sleeping bags strewn across the tent floor. Jack was there, his arms encircling him, hands stroking his back gently as he rocked him back and forth.

It was safety and acceptance and a future without loneliness. It was home, and Daniel embraced it with everything he had.


End file.
